With Benefits
by Verenda
Summary: The gang in a high school setting. Have you ever felt like what you were doing was so right yet at the same time, you knew it was the worst thing to do to yourself, your reputation, your friends, and especially the ones you love? VB w some others mixed in
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** If I owned anything, I would not be writing fanfiction about it. I promise.

**With Benefits  
****Prologue**

The crowd cheered and clapped as I stood on stage next to one of the most beautiful women in the world. She was stunning in her midnight blue dress, her aquamarine hair done up perfectly as if her stylist knew she would be donning the Prom Queen tiara. We turned to each other and I watched her smile sweetly, her eyes screaming, "This is my perfect moment." And with one fluid motion, I took my right hand and cupped her jaw softly, yet firmly. Without thinking, I leaned in and brushed her soft lips with my own, and slowly pulled away.

Then time froze.

The cheering stopped. The clapping stopped. I saw most of the senior and junior class gaping in shock as their King and Queen shared more than just a dance. Our shared best friends watched from the front of the crowd. Something made of glass fell to the floor and shattered. I knew right then and there. Nausea swept over me for a brief second. As if I were a clairvoyant, I knew my night -- and possibly my life -- was about to get worse.

The DJ had apparently not noticed, and almost immediately after, a soft, slow, and sweet song began to play. Bulma lead me off the stage on onto the floor to dance "our dance." I felt a twinge of guilt, but I was forced to ignore it. I was lead inside a circle where everyone else crowded around and watched, still awestricken at my display of… affection. I could feel their hot eyes on myself and the Queen, but I tried to disregard them by watching Bulma feign happiness and dance to the music, keeping me slightly sane. She appeared to be having the time of her life, but I knew she was just hiding her real feelings. She and I felt the same way on what I had just done. But I don't think she knew what my next plan of action was. When the announcer cued everyone else to begin dancing, I made my second-most vital move of the evening.

"I have to get out of here," I whispered in Bulma's ear. She nodded in understanding and let go of my shoulders, but I could see a little disappointment in her eyes. I had no time really to linger and made my way through the sea of dolled-up bodies. I dodged a few administrators and made my way onto the largest balcony on the building. No one followed me, which was probably best. If they had, I would have been sure to make their face contact my fist, hard.

I felt like an idiot climbing off the balcony in a tuxedo, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want to leave out of the front door. That would be too obvious. And I had to think on my toes. So climbing down and jumping from a balcony was… my only option. Just before I let go, I peered into the dance hall to see Bulma silently moving toward the front of the building. I fell to the ground easily enough (it was a relatively small drop) and brushed off my pants.

I had no idea where I was about to go, but I knew I had to get there. My feet carried me to my car in a slightly inebriated way. This was not the way I had the night planned in my head. I shoved my hand in my pocket and, with an unsteady hand, pulled the keys from my pocket and unlocked the car door. I sighed heavily and tried to keep my composure as I climbed into the vehicle and rested my head on the steering wheel. I didn't sit that way long as I noticed many couples leaving the dance with bright smiling faces and in a pessimistic way, I thought they would be the people parked next to me.

I started the car and let it hum for a few seconds before shifting it into reverse and backing out of the parking place. My thoughts were scattered and I looked in my mirror just in time to notice two people right at my back bumper. As they yelled obscenities and such at me, I shifted the car into Drive and slowly removed myself from the parking lot.

My vision was blurry, but I couldn't figure out why, so I shook my head a few times and kept going, not really realizing where I had driven myself. I pulled into the small recreational area and parked the car. I felt alien sitting in a rental car wearing a rental tuxedo with a sash across my chest that read "Prom King" as if I didn't deserve it. I shut off the car and took off the sash and tux coat. It felt a little better that way, but I still didn't know what I was going to do.

I moved toward a small bridge that coved a small lake in the park. I leaned over the edge of the bridge and stared at my reflection trying to find out where my life had gone wrong. What deity thought it was funny to create hell for my life? Why me?

And this is where I sit now. And you're probably asking yourself why I'm even worried about the outcome of this event that surely means nothing. Trust me, it means a lot and you have no idea yet. But maybe I should start my story at the beginning…

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** And there you have it. I need some feedback and I know it's short. If there is no feedback, you won't see the next chapters for awhile. I think I can actually write this one because I know where its going and I know how I'm getting there.

And I know this Prologue was short. The long-ness will come with the actual chapter. I promise.


	2. Chapter One: Monday Morning

**With Benefits**

**Chapter One: Monday Morning**

"Vegeta, hurry up! We're going to be later again!"

Groggily I moved to put on the first of two shoes and slowly untied the laces, slipped the shoe on, and retied it.

"Seriously! We don't have all morning!"

With a growl and a little better sense of my surroundings, I quickly repeated the motion with other shoe and lifted myself from the bed. I picked up a few books from my desk and slung a gym bag over my shoulder. Taking one last look at the clock, I smirked to myself and left the room, heading down the stairs. Quietly I bounded down them, seeing Kakarot sitting on the couch watching the news.

Luckily I was awake enough to feel a little mischievous. I set my bag down and snuck into the kitchen. I grabbed a bagel from the counter, and then the best part happened.

"VEGE--!!!" was all he could get out before I shoved the bagel in Kakarot's mouth. A small glare creeped across his face and I smirked again.

"Come on, Kakarot! Quit sitting around stuffing your face! I'm ready to go," I said to him semi-sarcastically. As Kakarot hurried to gather his things, I, too, picked up mine and headed for the door.

"That wasn't very nice of you to put that bagel in my mouth," Kakarot said before eating the last bite and unlocking his car.

"Well, It wasn't very nice to rush me when I know I've got a good ten minutes to sit around and do nothing!"

He didn't say much else the rest of the way to school. It was the usual "how well did you sleep" and such, but nothing extensive and drawn out. There were a lot of long pauses in his speech.

You see, Kakrot and I are the closest thing to best friends without me actually calling myself his "best pal." The term… disgusts me to say the least. He and I have had an agreement since the tenth grade – he drives me to school everyday if I promise to play running back on the varsity football team. Easy enough. That gets me a ride, the ability to show off and… girls. Its been a great deal ever since. And naturally the team's had a winning season every year.

I saw the familiar student parking lot full of an array of vehicles. It was finally our turn to park unbelievably close to the school and watch the underclassmen struggle to make it up to the school in time. Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating. Regardless, Kakarot shut off the car and gathered his books. I took that as the cue to get out and removed myself from the car. That's when I finally noticed Kakarot's extreme silence.

"What's got you so quiet this morning?" I asked him out of simple curiosity, awaiting the response that I really didn't want to hear – a long one.

I watched him heave a sigh and almost felt bad for him. Then he spoke. "It's mine and ChiChi's anniversary today, and I didn't remember until I picked you up." His voice was extremely despondent, or at least to me.

"You didn't buy anything, did you?" I asked a little condescendingly. Seeing the look on his face, I reached in my back pocket for my wallet and pulled out a reasonable sum of money. Kakarot acted as if the bills were laced with arsenic and strongly refused to accept them. "Take it. Get her a nice dinner or something." I tried to further reassure him, "Kakarot, consider this payment for the numerous days you've driven me to school. Just take it." He reached for it with reluctance in his eyes, but smiled and thanked me anyway.

"Goku!!"

As if on cue, the screeching voice of the harpy causing Kakarot mental turmoil appeared. She was flanked by her (or shall I say "our") friends – the short bald one, the blonde tomboy, and the enticing blue-haired minx. IT was nothing out of the ordinary. I'd seen these people nearly everyday for at least the past four years.

But I always noticed her the most.

As I ignored the mindless banter of two love birds, I was trapped in her beauty. Almost too trapped to notice when a muscled arm snaked around her waist from behind.

So I went back to the rest of the world.

In my time spent studying her splendor, I hadn't noticed that we all had reached the school's entrance and walked to our usual spot of four years to wait for the first bell. I slouched against the wall and accidentally glanced again at her. And that's when she caught my eyes.

"How was your weekend, Vegeta?" Her voice was soft and sweet. The only thing that ruined that moment was the ugly guy growing from her hand, standing next to her.

So I took the normal "glare-and-ignore-the-question" pose. It worked well enough. She didn't ask me anything else. She just "hmphed" and started talking to someone else.

It was going to be a long day.

Like always.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** The author of this story gave blood today for the first time! Regardless... I promised a longer chapter. But this actually ended up being... shorter. Sorry. The next one will be better. The plot will actually start coming to life. I promise. And I won't break that one. REALLY. Anywho... To answer some reviews:

**heiress2thethrone:** I'm glad you like the intro! I hope you like the rest of the story as well!

**dirtysouthsweetness:** I'm definitely going to continue. I think I've got a good thing going here!

**ravenreux:** I'm sorry you have a patience problem. Sometimes I get a writing problem. But I'm doing pretty good with this. I'm usually able to sit in my Spanish II class and write. The teacher is... less than great.

**The Angel that Fell:** I hope you will be surprised!

**Gothic Bulma:** Sorry I'm so cruel. But... that was the intention. I are mean author. Rawr. . Yeah... Anyway... let's see if I can keep that side of me from escaping.

**Calise:** Thanks! I would hope that the words wouldn't be... flow-less?

Thanks in general for all the reviews! They made my day!


	3. Chapter Two: The School Day

**With Benefits**  
**Chapter Two: The School Day**

The bell rang in a familiar sharp E natural. That's when I finally was jarred back to reality, and I lifted my bag back on to my shoulder. My group of "friends" and I merged with the hundreds of other bodies. Everyday I noticed how this hallway was like a funnel – everyone poured into it from several locations in the school, squeezed into this one hallway, and at the end of the hallway, everyone went their separate ways to other different hallways. And then I kicked myself for acting like a poetic nerd. And of course, after this entire thought process, I had made it to my destination.

I thought I had everything figured out about high school. Well. I did. Everything except why our lockers werent' even big enough to put a small child in – much less a thick Calculus book, a Spanish book, four notebooks and the countless books I need for literature. And they had been that way for three other years. Soon, it would all be over. I couldn't decide whether I resented that or not.

I was putting The Stranger back in my locker when a hand slapped my shoulder a little violently. It was Kakarott, I noticed as I turned around and locked the metal box.

"Thanks for the money, Vegeta. I have the perfect idea for tonight." Kakarott smiled at me and I couldn't decide whether to feel glad for him or just sick.

"No problem," I responded forcing down a grimace or anything else that would show my distaste. "It was the best I could do to help you out," I said through clenched teeth and a forced, fake smile. Part of me felt bad for feeling so disgusted by Kakarott's affections for his woman. Love just isn't my thing.

"Really, Vegeta. This means a lot to me, and tonight will be amazing thanks to you. It will really be a great night if we can make some progress on that project," Kakarot said before we stated walking to the gym for weight training.

And that's when it hit me, and I remember something vital. We, Kakarott, his girlfriend, Bulma, and myself, had all agreed to work on a Spanish project together at Bulma's house that night. And I had forgotten until just then. My mind raced with the possibilites of what could happen that night. Then I remembered her jerk of a boyfriend.

Wait.

Why was I thinking this? Why did I suddenly become concerned with getting her alone? She was one of my friends. If I needed something along those lines, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard. I scowled while thinking of this and then set my gym bag on a bench. I tried to ignore my thoughts by changing into some better workout clothes. Kakarott was standing right next to me and if he was saying anything, I really wasn't listening.

After an hour of benching nearly twice my weight, I realized that I just couldn't concentrate and spotted Kakarott for the rest of class. I soon found myself right back in the locker room, changing again.

"Vegeta? Are you okay?"

I was just finished wiping the sweat off my face when I saw one of the coaches walk up to me and ask if I was feeling well. His face was a mixture of worry and sincerity, yet his voice was firm. He constantly told us that we should look at him as a father figure, but he seemed a little to nice for that. And I'm sure he had his own children to be a father to.

"Yeah, coach. Just a little spaced out." I answered him.

I saw his face change a little to display relief. "Just get whatever it is off of your mind by Friday. I can't have you off in La-La Land while we try to defeat North Pacific." He patted me on the back and walked out of the room.

I changed my clothes and gathered my things. I walked out of the locker room to find Kakarott waiting for me. We have had basically the same schedule for the past four years and not necessarily on purpose. It was a silent ritual the two of us had; we would walk to each class that we had together, sometimes discussing the day's events, sometimes talking about football, sometimes not talking at all. And this was one of those moments.

The two of us had the next class together, AP Calculus, so we each went to our lockers and met back up again to walk some more. Don't ask how Kakarott made it into that class. I'm not even sure myself. Regardless, we both walked into the classroom and I set my things down on a desk near the back of the room. Kakarot followed suit, but was thrown into his own little world when ChiChi walked in.

After I had seen all I could take, she walked in. She had been walking with Yamcha, of course, but she seemed a little more unhappy than usual. She practically slammer her books on a desk in front of mind to which Kakarot and ChiChi broke apart long enough to ask her what her problem was.

The bell rang again and I watched Bulma practically throw herself into the desk. She was dangerously close to tears and ChiChi asked her again what was wrong. I didn't listen to her sad story. I assumed it was sad based on the tears and the number of times she said "he." I was trying to pay attention to the derivatives on the board.

I managed to ignore them until the next class, Literature. Neither Kakarot nor his girlfriend had decided to take AP Literature. After almost a month in the class, I didn't blame them. But I did take the class with Bulma. And Yamcha. There were some others thrown in as well -- like Krillin and 18. Two more love birds that I could hardly stand.

The tension in the air was extremely thick. Bulma chose to ignor her "boyfriend" and constantly wrote to 18, no doubt on the subject of Yamcha. It shouldn't have bothered me. It never had before. But it did now. Bulma was about to be available. Or at least I hoped so. And I wasn't quite sure why. She and I had been friends for years. And I had never felt this way about her. Regardless, I still ignored them all in an attempt to learn more about Othello and John Donne. I succeeded. And formed a plan. But that would come up later.

The bell rang once more to tell the school that the last class of the day was beginning. Finally.

Spanish II. The last class of my day. My hell. Apart from wanting to assassinate my teacher and use her flesh to scare away small children, the class also held Kakarot and ChiChi, as well as several other couples that mad me gag.

Our work was written on the board and I had no desire to finish it. Or start it. I decided I would rather join in the conversation my groupmates were having. We did all have a project to be thinking about. Bulma and ChiChi were yammering about useless things like her relationship with Yamcha. She had calmed down and apparantly had forgiven him. "But don't worry," I heard her say, "I told Yamcha not to show up tonight, 'cause we'll be working. And maybe you can stay over tonight!"

Kakarot was listening into the conversation also, and I saw his face look a little grim while the girls were planning their elaborate sleepover. "I haven't told her about my plans for tonight yet," he told me in a hushed tone. "You may end up doing some of the project with Bulma alone."

I rolled my eyes at him. Great. Just what I... wanted? I sat in the class, not talking for the rest of the period, a little dazed and confused. Did I care that I was going to be alone with Bulma?

I must have been going crazy.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** Here's a long chapter to make up for the lack of chapters for a while. Sorry for the long delay in the updating. I've been pretty busy with school, so I couldn't really write much. Luckily for you all, I don't have any more school for a few weeks. On to the thank-yous:

**The Angel that Fell:** This one is longer! More longer chapters will come too. Thanks!  
**Nish095081: **I'm really glad you like it. I was actually afraid I was putting him out of character. I think it's a little hard to write him in first person and keep him in character! Thanks!  
**animebdoll:** Glad you like it! Thanks!  
**Gothic Bulma: **I hope I'm continuing to pique your curiosity so that you will continue reading! Thanks!  
**ravenreux: **I plan on putting up more chapters in shorter time periods now, so you don't have to be too patient lol. Thanks!  
**Vampiress-06:** Here it is! Thanks!

Sorry about the no... spacing there. I didn't want to take up lots of space. I'm kinda picky about that I suppose. Anywhooooooooooo... Expect the next chapter in 1 to 2 days!


	4. Chapter Three: The Night

**With Benefits  
Chapter Three: The Night that May Have Ruined My Life**

"I don't know what the big deal is Vegeta," Kakarot kept saying to me while the two of us walked the short distance to his car. I had no intention of discussing my plight with him, but I knew he wouldn't shut up until I said some bullshit answer. But I couldn't think of anything, as if my brain was frozen. Perhaps it was shock more than freeze. I still couldn't believe that Kakarot hadn't told his woman about the dinner they were supposed to be having.

I threw my stuff in the backseat of Kakarot's car and slid in the passenger's seat. I waited awhile for him to get in, a little too impatiently. "Really Vegeta, I don't understand why you have such a problem with this. ChiChi and I will be there for a few hours and then I'm sure you can find a way to get back to your house," Kakarot said as soon as he started the car. We left the parking lot with ease, being so close to the entrance of the school, and fell in the long line of cars right behind Chichi and Bulma.

Ironically, they too rode together each morning and afternoon. Bulma drove because ChiChi's parents were too overprotective. Surprise, surprise. Typical high school parents.

The girls had gotten lucky this week, by choosing to work on a day when Kakarot and I got out of football practice. Even though we should have been practicing, our coach gave us the day off due to… who knows what. It happened every once in awhile, but just seemed to work out this once. I get enough beating up by other players on different teams; I don't really need to be beat up by those on my own team. Especially on a Monday.

Kakarot and I arrived at Bulma's house just after the two girls had. I got out of his car and noticed that Bulma and ChiChi were just getting to Bulma's front door. The girls saw the two of us and giggled. I have no idea why. But they waited for us and when we were all at Bulma's front door, she let us inside.

"So, today, I decided that we should work on getting everything set up for the video recording." Bulma began barking orders, and I really wanted to shut her up, but had no power to do so. "If we can get most of the stuff made, we can start recording Saturday."

The project was simple. Or so it seemed at first. Our prime objective was to demonstrate a typical setting in Spanish in any way possible. Bulma being the overachieving genius she was, wanted to go above and beyond and make a small mini-movie. She had already written out a script, designed costumes, and made sure everyone's schedule worked out for the next four weeks. I would have been happy making a small model and labeling it in Spanish. Really.

Bulma then handed each of us a small stack of paper. "Those are your scripts. I gave ChiChi and I most of the lines because Goku, I know you can't remember lines well, and Vegeta... you're anti-social." She smiled at me. It was a fake smile, a sardonic smile. She was such a bitch. "If you want, you can highlight your lines now," she handed us each a highlighter, "and I'll start getting all of the other things we will need together."

I flipped through the pages with boredom. She lied a little in giving me few lines. I had more than I thought I might. I noticed the title for the first time and smirked. "¿Quién es mi amor?" it read. It was a silly love movie. Appropriate I assume for a girl who thinks she's in love with the perfect man, yet seems to be angry with him constantly. But what did I care?

"Hey, Vegeta, could you maybe give Bulma a hand?" Kakarot whispered to me. "I'm going to break the news to ChiChi."

I rolled my eyes and moved to Bulma's kitchen where I found her trying to reach into a cabinet for a box on the top shelf. I easily grabbed it for her before she really noticed I was with her. She blushed a little and tugged her shirt down. I wasn't sure what she was embarrassed about, but she never brought it up.

"So what brings you in here to help me?" She asked, knowing that I would never do soemthing sheerly out of the goodness of my heart. And she was right.

"Kakarot and his girlfriend are discussing something," I said in an aloof tone. She picked up on it. I shouldn't spend so much time with her.

"Sounds like someone's either jealous or unhappy with the situation. Now which is it?"

"Neither. I'm not jealous of _that_, and why should I be unhappy, unless it's simply my usual unhappiness with my surroundings?"

"Good cover," she responded. I thought it was too. Because I knew she would have mentioned it. "Do you know what they're so happy about. I mean, they're not usually this..." She trailed off, but I knew exactly what she was hinting at.

"It's their _anniversary_," I said, putting a disgusted emphasis on the last word. "Kakarot told me about it this morning, and he decided that he was going to take her out to dinner tonight." That's when I felt like I ruined her evening.

"Tonight?!" She exclaimed. "But we're all working tonight!"

"Woman, please. Chill out. He made reservations for 8:00 tonight, so they'll be here for at least three more hours. And if you want, I'll stay and help you out, so you won't feel like we're making you do this project all by yourself. It's just one night. We've got four weeks." I tried to reassure her, and for once, it worked.

"Okay. If you'll stay and help. I could call Yamcha and --"

"No. This isn't his project." I glared at her.

She understood, and never said another word about Yamcha for the rest of the night.

We made a lot of progress in that three hours. A lot more than I thought we would. ChiChi and Bulma worked on the costumes while Kakarot and I rehearsed our lines together. I helped him with some of the spanish words, but he picked up quickly. If he had no skill with anything else, he was capable of learning Spanish, and speaking it adequately. I was astouded.

Regardless of all the progress, when Kakarot looked at his watch, he only had one thing on his mind. "Hey, Bulma," he called across the room, "ChiChi and I have to leave."

"That's fine," she responded. "Vegeta and I will work without you two." Bulma and ChiChi walked over to the table where Kakarot and I had been reviewing the script. Kakarot got up and took ChiChi by the hand. "You two kids have fun," Bulma joked. She and I watched as the couple left for the door.

Bulma put her hands in her back pockets and looked condesendingly at my highlighted script. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked when she didn't say anything.

"What makes you think you did?" she asked me. I shrugged nonchalantly. "Well then, that was a stupid question for you to ask. Jeeze, Vegeta. Just because I think you're an asshole and a jerk doesn't mean that I think you're incompetent."

That might have been the most sincere thing she's ever said to me. I almost didn't believe her. "Are we almost finished with the work for the day?" I asked, trying to create a new topic of conversation.

"Almost. But I have to get your measurements, so I can make your costume," she stated without looking directly at me. I saw her blush again. I think I did.

In compliance with her wishes, I stood up and held out my arms. "That's fine. How long should this take?"

"No time at all." She pulled from her pocket a small measuring tape and got down on her knees. She held one end of the tape and pulled the other end all the way up past my thigh near my crotch. I'd had this done a thousand times before and it actually didn't bother me in the least like you think it would. A beautiful girl on her knees so close to me and... No. Didn't feel a thing at that moment.

I watched her get up and measure from my shoulder to my wrist, and then repeat on the other side. She measured around my waist and hips and several other minor measurements and wrote them all down. She was such a lovely creature to me at that moment. I still haven't figured out why that was the deciding moment. We didn't share any words while she took my measurements. Everything she did to me had been done to me before. But at that moment, she was the most attractive thing in the world with beautiful blue eyes. When she stood back up after writing down the measurements, we stood face to face, and her eyes simply stared at me. I didn't have much control over my own actions after that point. I placed one hand on the small of her back and another on her cheek. In a swift motion I leaned into her and caught her soft lips in my own. Her eyes slid closed and for a brief moment, we shared what I considered a perfect bliss.

It was something so innocent it was bound to ruin us.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** That took longer than I imagined it would. I guess I had more ideas for the chapter than originally planned. BUT HEY! This chapter is just in time for Christmas! I hope everyone is having (or had) a magnificent holiday season. I enjoyed the reviews I recieved for that last chapter! Thanks!! Expect the next chapter in... a week? (I'm trying to make promises I can keep this time!) 


	5. Chapter Four: A Discussion

**With Benefits**

**Chapter Four: A Discussion, A Reconciliation **

…_We stood face to face, and her eyes simply stared at me. I didn't have much control over my own actions after that point. I placed one hand on the small of her back and another on her cheek. In a swift motion I leaned into her and caught her soft lips in my own. Her eyes slid closed and for a brief moment, we shared what I considered a perfect bliss._

_It was something so innocent it was bound to ruin us._

We broke apart almost immediately. My eyes darted to the floor. Without looking at her, I gathered my script and my other books. "I should go," I choked out, still avoiding her eyes. But I could feel them on me. Demanding me to look up. She moved in front of me and I was forced to stare into her eyes again.

Fear.

I saw fear in her eyes. And she probably saw the same in mine.

"Don't go." Those simple words had me trapped in. I wanted to leave. She knew I did. She knew I wanted to leave this all behind, pretend it never happened, and move on with my life. But I knew she didn't.

I watched her move to her sofa and sit down. She pulled her legs on to the cushion with her and made herself comfortable. "Come," she said and patted the cushion next to her, "sit."

Like an obedient dog, I complied and returned my books to the table. I realized that I couldn't really leave. I had no way home. So I sat with her. The sofa was a soft off-white plush that matched the other furniture in the room. I was trying not to look at her. I felt…

Ashamed.

I shouldn't have done what I did. It was out of line. Sure, lots of girls would love to kiss me, if nothing more, but Bulma was not just "some girl." She was one of my friends. One of the mutual friends I shared with Kakarot. And it wasn't right to kiss her. But it was nothing extraordinary. It was a simple kiss. Wasn't it?

"I think we should talk about this, rather than you leave and never talk about it for the rest of our lives, and let it eat away at ourselves for years and years," she started. She tended to start most of the conversation we shared and have shared over the years. She usually had a lot to say about it, too. So I let her speak. And tried very hard to listen.

"I can't decide whether to acknowledge the existence of that kiss… or not. I'm sorry for it. It shouldn't have happened. Our situations are… not best for this kind of behavior. We have reputations to keep. I have a reputation as a girl with a steady boyfriend, and I don't party much, and I don't do "wild" things. You have a reputation of dating girls with prettier faces, covered in makeup, that wear cheerleading uniforms. If word got out that this happened between the two of us, too many rumors would start. Things would not change for the better."

At that point, I knew she was right. I hadn't disagreed with her once anyway. I knew we didn't need to tell people about this. It would have to be our secret.

"If that's what you want, that's fine with me. I don't really have a desire to go tell as many people as I can--"

"Then you find me unattractive?" she cut me off. I noticed for the first time tears in her beautiful blue eyes. "You don't want to tell people about this because it will ruin your reputation?" Her voice had raised a few decibels.

She had just twisted her own words around. I hated women. "No. It's not that I find you unattractive…" I hadn't prepared for this kind of reaction. I wasn't sure why, because I knew she would pull something like this up. All girls who are emotionally unstable tend to act irrationally. "I just don't want you to get… hurt."

I must have said something right.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "Thanks," she said into my chest. She sat up a little and put a lot of her weight on my thighs in order to look straight at me. Our faces were almost too close and, with her hands on my thighs, I had to strain to keep from kissing her again. "You should probably leave," she said softly, and I was almost sure that she was having the same feelings I was. But I didn't want to risk it.

After she moved from my lap, I stood up and walked back to my stuff. And then I realized some difficulty in my leaving.

"Bulma..." I started a little embarrassedly, "I don't have a ride home." I could feel heat rising to my cheeks, so I chose not to look up at her.

Cutely, and seemingly obliviously, she looked at me and smiled. "It's fine. Really. I'll take you home." She grabbed a light jacket and her keys from the same table my books were on. I picked up my books, and the two of us left the house to walk outside to her car.

She and I made her way to the small blue four-door, and I opened the passenger's side door to slide into the seat. With a "click" of the seatbelt, I realized that I had never ridden with Bulma before while she drove. But I trusted her.

As I watched her get in and start the car, she started to speak. "I know you don't live very far away, but my radio's busted, and I **hate** driving in silence. So, even though it is **completely** against all that you are, could you **please** make some effor for small talk?" And the upbraiding began.

"I suppose I could," I responded with a slight smirk. She then backed out of her driveway with ease and we were off.

"Good." But she paused for quite a few seconds, probably waiting on me to talk first. Too bad I disappointed her with that. So she sighed and began. "We have a pretty big game Friday night; are you ready for it?"

At least she piqued my interest. "I'm positive Kakarot and I can pull it off," I shortly replied.

She paused again and I listened to some of the sounds of car on the pavement of the road. Suddenly, she was stricken with the perfect conversation topic.

"So, I listen to you all the time... but why is it that you still call Goku Kakarot?" The name sounded so unfamiliar from her lips. But everyone asked me, and she was bound to sometime.

"Because Kakarot is the name I know him by. When I met him, he was Kakarot and just because he found a "cute" nickname when he got into highschool, doesn't mean I'm going to call him by it."

She seemed satisfied by the positive "Hm" she replied in response. As we pulled into my subdivision, I quit worrying about whether she was going to talk or not. Then I realized just what I was sitting in. Awkward silence. I knew just what she was thinking about and I knew mostly how she felt. Or at least I thought I did.

I had to fight myself to talk when we finally reached my house. "Thanks for the ride," I told her, and she plastered a small smile on her face and nodded. After some more awkward silence, I had to know her thoughts. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

She sat there and her smile faded. She shifted her car into reverse, and I thought she wasn't going to respond. Then I wished that she hadn't after she did. "I'm ready to forget." And with that small reply, I began to regret everything, knowing that she was nowhere near kidding. I simply stood there as she backed out of my driveway and left alltogether.

It all felt like a dream as I walked into my house knowing that my parents weren't home and probably wouldn't be for some time. I walked into the kitchen and, bingo, found the note my parents had left for me. I could make a scrapbook with all the notes they left for me, but it would be very dull, since they left all the time and mostly for all the same reasons. The note distracted me from my former train of thought, but it returned when I threw the small piece of paper away.

One minute, Bulma was okay with what she and I had done. The next, she was depressed. Maybe she was just being a woman. Hormonal. Probably.

But my thoughts wouldn't let it rest. Maybe it really did bother her, and the first time we discussed it, she was just faking happiness.

It wouldn't leave me alone all night and I was lucky to get some sleep. I didn't even remember falling asleep the next morning. But when I woke up, I felt like I hadn't slept at all.

But it was a new day. Things could have changed. And, oh how they did.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** I ran into some trouble with this chapter. It was originally going to stop with him leaving on his own, but I realized the improbablity of that... And the shortness. Plus, with this chapter, I was able to explain some little things, like the usage of "Kakarot" and why Vegeta never talks about his parents. Regardless... This chapter's finished! I've already started on the next one, and I really hope I'm writing at a speed that you all can put up with. I'm trying!

Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter, and I hope you can make me just as happy with this one!


	6. Chapter Five: An Eventful Weekend

**With Benefits  
Chapter Five: An Eventful Weekend**

The next morning, a few things did change, and they stayed altered throughout the week. Bulma and I began to talk less and less during the following week. It didn't really bother me as much as you would hope, but I was a little disheartened when she refused to even be near me at times. She would always fabricate an excuse, like having to see Yamcha. I knew it was a lie, because she always seemed to avoid me at the strangest times.

One thing that surprisingly didn't change was her relationship with the oaf. The day after our "incident," she didn't spend a lot of time around Yamcha, but they warmed back up to each other as the week progressed. And then it seemed like he was everywhere she was. How exciting that turned out to be.

Regardless of everything that happened (or didn't happen), everything that changed, life still went on. By Friday, I was too pumped up about our football game, that I started to dismiss everything that had happened only four days before. I even started to forget about Bulma, since she had been spending so much time away from me. I would see her around, but neither of us would acknowledge the other's presence. And, like I said, by Friday, I wasn't even bothered by it.

It was a crisp Friday night, and I don't remember much else. A lot of the games I played don't really register in my head after they've occurred. Some people think it's because I get hit too often. I just think it's an experience I'd like to forget; so I do.

Even though I don't remember much about the plays and the field action, I remember the in-between. I remember seeing Bulma in all her regality conducting the marching band in the stands. I remember watching the defense pound the other team's offense. I remember winning the game after four grueling quarters. It was fun. What I remember.

And I remember after the game, when everything came crashing back down, after the high that winning gave me.

"Vegeta, that was some amazing playing out there tonight," Kakarot said as the two of us were leaving the locker room. "Surely you've got some scouters trying to recruit you."

I scoffed. "It's not any of your business." We walked outside into the still crisp air, and I noticed that most of the people in the crowd had left. There were still some people hanging out around the field – some pot-heads, some band geeks, a few parents, and some of the other football players. No one I knew… or cared about.

"Well, we've got the play-offs next week. Are you excited?" Kakarot asked me.

I rolled my eyes. "Excitement is an emotion that I don't posses. It's for small children and engaged women. Not for me." He was such a child sometimes.

That's about the point when we were approached by the head cheerleader and the drum major. Both of them extremely peppy and I was just getting finished discussing my lack of the emotion needed to have a normal conversation with them.

"So you two know that you're coming over to my house tomorrow morning, right?" Bulma asked, paying more attention to Kakarot. I considered it conversation towards me anyway.

As the three of them prattled on, it dawned on me. I was going back to Bulma's house. And even though Kakarot and his woman would be there, I would still be in a room with Bulma. And I would be forced to sit through more awkward silence while ChiChi and Kakarot discussed "couple things" in cute little voices to each other. Not only did that make me sick, but it was about to make me nervous. And I hate to feel nervous.

"Vegeta, you're awfully quite about this? What do you think?" Kakarot asked me, probably thinking I had been listening the entire time.

"I, uh, yeah, sure. Sounds great." I stammered. I just wish I knew what I had just agreed to.

"Great! See you guys tomorrow morning!" Bulma said, and started to walk away.

"Bye Goku," ChiChi said, placing a small kiss on his cheek, making Kakarot blush. She too walked away, following Bulma.

"Public Displays of Affection always make me awkward," Kakarot admitted.

I ignored him for the most part, and the two of us walked to his car. We both threw our duffle bags in the trunk and got into the small car. By the time we actually were in the car and leaving, I noticed that it was almost midnight. Maybe for once, my parents would be home. Part of me thought about asking Kakarot if I could stay at his house for the night, but I thought that would sound desperate. So I just let him drop me off at my own house.

I told him thanks for the ride and waved him goodbye. The lights were off in the house. I was nowhere near surprised.

_Vegeta-  
Your father and I went out with some friends for some drinks. We'll be home later! We hope you did well with your match!_

_Love, Mom_

Peachy.

After that I didn't do much else, and pretty much crashed until morning.

* * *

I woke up the following morning to Kakarot staring at me while he sat on the opposite edge of the bed. When my eyes popped open, he screamed like a girl and fell off the bed. I laughed at him from pure joy. 

"I gave it a six. You should have been more graceful for a higher score." I started, still laughing a little.

"Very funny, Vegeta; but get up. We have to be at Bulma's house in 30 minutes." Kakarot responded, rubbing the back of his head.

Even though I was a little sore from the game and would have prefered to sleep in like a normal teenager, I did just as he told me. I padded to my dresser from some clean clothes, and Kakarot left the room, probably in search of food. I picked out some clothes out of habit, not really caring what they were. While they were still folded, I threw them on the bed and grabbed a towel from one of the other drawers on the dresser. I figured that a nice warm shower would make me feel a little less sore; plus, it would give me time to think about my options for the day.

When I got in the shower and turned on the water, I immediately felt better. There was almost nothing else in the world that made me feel this good. Almost. That's about the time when my thoughts shifted to exactly what I knew they would. Funny how your subconcious does that to you.

Today was going to be an awkward day. I wasn't quite sure what we would be doing, but I knew that Bulma and I would be be there together. We would actually have to make conversation for the first time in a week. For one of the first times in my life, I was scared of a situation. And I hated myself for it. Most kids get scared when they visit a doctor or a dentist. Silly me. I get scared when I have to talk to a girl. Granted, this girl is extremely attractive and I would love to get her alone and do countless things to her. I shook my head after that thought. It was a stupid one. Everyone including me knew that that day would never happen.

I turned off the water and shivered a little. Stepping out of the shower, I grabbed the towel and dryed myself. After feeling relatively dry, I wrapped the towel around my waist and headed back into my room to get dressed. I put on my clothes automatically like a drone and then walked downstairs to see Kakarot eating a bowl of cereal. How did I know?

"I'm ready to go," I said just as he was finishing the cereal. Kakarot nodded to me and washed his bowl in the sink. At least he was clean about it. I suppose that why I let him eat here in the first place. I picked up my Spanish script from the kitchen table and found yet another note from my parents. Even on a Saturday they can't be home.

The two of us walked out the door and to his car. The same monotony as every morning: we both got into the car and he put in some pansy music. Today it was Dave Matthews Band. In no time at all, we arrived at Bulma's house exactly thirty minutes from when I woke up.

When we walked into her house, four mannequins set up with outfits on each one, two male and two female. That's when I realized what I had agreed too the previous night. We were going to start filming our project for Spanish. Now I was going to have to dress up like an idiot and speak like babbling idiot.

"Hey guys!" Bulma said when we were fully inside her house. "ChiChi and I did the first takes of the sketches that we have together last night. That means that there's only a few more and then we can review all the pieces before putting it together." She walked over to the camcorder and made sure it was on. "Okay, so the next scene I want to do is with ChiChi and Goku, so review everything and then we can start." When the two of them gave Bulma the okay, she handed out more instructions. "Okay, guys. This is just the run-through to see if it's all do-able. So... No costumes, even though I got them finished." She set up some small props and told the happy couple where to stand. When she got back to her camera, she made one last check to see if it was on. "Aaaaaaaaand... Action!"

We worked for two or three hours videotaping and working on our project. Bulma and I still hadn't said much to me, except when she was giving me orders. I felt awkward just as planned. But I ignored it most of the time, knowing that it was probably right that she was ignoring me.

But something unplanned happened.

"Goku," I heard ChiChi whisper softly, "I have a really bad headache." She clinched her eyes shut and Kakarot wrapped his arms around her tightly. She looked like she was in severe pain, but nothing a good nap wouldn't fix.

Kakarot looked up at Bulma and I. "I think I should take ChiChi home."

After he said that, Bulma nodded. "It's okay. There's only a few more scenes and they're all with Vegeta and I. I think the two of us can manage. If needed, I get Yamcha to come and help. Thanks for coming over and working though. I hope ChiChi feels better." She smiled at the two of them. "Oh! And don't worry about your stuff, ChiChi. I'll bring it by your house later."

After a few goodbyes, the couple left, and I realized that I had just been left alone with Bulma.

It was quiet for a long time in that large house. We both stood in the same places we had been standing, and I refused to look at her. But I soon found the courage to take the initiative and speak.

"You know... You're going to have to say something to me eventually," I started, looking directly at her. Unfortunately, she avoided my gaze with all the power that she could and stared intently at the ground. I sighed. "Woman, you can't stand there and avoid me for the rest of the day. We have work to do."

It was her turn to sigh. She walked a few steps and shut off the camera, then sat down on her soft couch. "Come sit with me; I want to talk."

I followed her instructions and sat next to her, but not too close. She wouldn't really look at me, but I could tell she had every intention of making eye contact. We sat there for what seemed like hours, even though it was only a few minutes. She didn't speak immediately and I wondered if she even knew what to say. Because I sure didn't. I was actually surprised when she spoke.

"So here we are again," she started and looked straight at me. Her eyes were strange. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "You and I need to stop being alone like this. Or at least..." she got a little closer to me, "I'd like it if we would." As if to beckon me, she put her head on my shoulder.

I thought she was either intentionally lying to me or not concious of what she was saying. "Are you sure?" I asked honestly.

She looked at me as if I had spoken in some alien language. "Why do you do this to me?" She asked breathlessly. I had no words to respond with immediately and simply let my feelings take control. Probably not the best idea.

"It was never my intention..." I trailed off. I stared into her beautiful blue eyes and unconsciously took her head in my hand. Her eyes slid closed and I moved in for the second mistake of my senior year.

Her lips were soft and sweet, and I had no idea what I was doing as she forced the kiss deeper, deeper than the simple kiss I had given her before. My eyes closed also, but not for long. Bulma's small hands pushed against my chest, breaking our kiss.

Her eyes were filled with horror.

"Oh, God, Vegeta." she mumbled, "What do we keep doing?" she asked rhetorically.

I had no idea either.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** And the plot thickens. Wonder what will happen to our happy anti-couple. Well, I know, but that's just cause I'm the writer. lol. And wow. Long chapter. I mean... that's pretty long. Pretty eventful too I guess. I hope you enjoy this one.

Thanks for the reviews. I guess this extra long chapter is due to the fact that I broke 20 reviews. That's a plus for me. And over 1300 hits. I'm impressed.

OH! And before I forget... I'm trying to decide on whether to keep some of my other unfinished fics. I hate doing plugs, but if you have some down time and are looking for something to read, I would like it if you could give me some feedback on my "dead" fics. Keep or get rid of mostly. Maybe I can get myself back into writing. I'm really really trying...


	7. Chapter Six: Mistakes

**With Benefits  
Chapter Six: Mistakes**

I felt dizzy.

The turn of event in the past week had nearly driven me insane, and now it added up to this zenith. Something horrid always seemed to happen when she and I were alone in the same room. But this was only the second time.

We stared at each other silently. All I could think the entire time was "Why?" but I knew that the question either had too many answers, or never would be answered. She was smart and beautiful, and most of the time, I couldn't control myself. But she was in a relationship. She was high school "off-limits." I didn't have an answer to my question still.

Bulma shifted on the couch, and started staring at the wall. I turned to do the same, since I had no desire to watch her sit in her own thoughts. That's when she surprised me by talking.

"Why does this have to happen now?" she asked. I had no idea whether she wanted me to answer, but I didn't have one anyway.

She moved to look at me and started talking again. "I mean, we've known each other for years. We've been alone before. What makes this so different now?"

I looked at her with a quizzical gaze. She was right. One hundred percent.

"I don't know, Bulma. I have no idea," I responded as honestly as I could.

She sighed heavily. "If this were any other time in my life, I might be willing to… make something of this. But this is hard." She reached for my cheek, showing sympathy that I didn't need. "I'm extremely busy with band and other classes and such. Plus… I have Yamcha." She dropped her hand and looked down at her lap briefly, but quickly stared at me again. "I feel really good about Yamcha and I. I mean… sure he and I fight, but I know I love him. And want us to work. And because of that, this… you and I… can't happen. I know you want it to, I mean, I would want it to… but I'm sorry, Vegeta." She ended, touching my cheek again.

No. No, no, no, no, and no. She had this all wrong.

I glared at her and forcefully removed her hand from my face. In one swift motion I stood up and crossed my arms. "Well, well, well. I can't even believe you." I shook my head, trying to form sentences out of all the words I wanted to say. "Two minutes ago, **you** were ready to give yourself to me on that couch. And please explain why **you **were the one that got close to me, close enough to risk another incident." I was so furious at her to make sense of my own words. So I went on, like any normal angry person.

"You're so conceited, so vain. You think this is all about you. That everyone loves you. Well, choke on this, woman. You're not as great as you think." And with that, I started heading for the door.

With my hand on the doorknob, I was stopped, when I felt Bulma's hand on my shoulder.

"Vegeta, wait."

I turned around to see her looking solemn and on the verge of tears. Something I had said really affected her, and I suddenly felt a twinge of regret.

"I didn't mean it that way --"

"Then what "way" did you mean it?" I cut her off, still slightly angry.

She sighed, her eyes welling up with tears. "I just… I don't want to risk my status. If anyone were to find out about these simple little things, they could get blown up into something that could ruin both of us. I don't want that to happen. And I do love Yamcha. And I don't want him to leave me." Tears began to fall from her eyes and I felt powerless to stop them. She pulled me into a soft hug, and I placed on hand on the back of her head in an attempt to comfort her. "I don't want to be alone," she whispered into my chest.

Her breath was warm through my shirt, but I had to push her away. I grabbed her by the forearms and looked her straight in the eyes. "Stop crying, woman. Your life isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. I don't plan on sharing our little rendezvous with anyone else. I promise."

She nodded and blinked. I let her go so she could wipe her eyes and she hugged me again quickly. "If you don't mind," she began, "I'd really like to finish this stupid project." After I nodded, she moved back into the living room and to her camera. I followed her numbly and complied when she asked me to stand in certain places. These were the scenes between our two caracters, and I wasn't quite sure how she was going to record and perform. She was just going to let the camera record without a "director."

She stood next to me and said when we could begin speaking. It was simple remembering the lines in Spanish, and I saw the Bulma also had no trouble. Afterall, she wrote the script. But her speaking another language just made me... I almost lost it.

We were finished in only about half an hour, and my stomach growled. So I had a plan.

"Bulma, I'd really like to make this up to you... I mean... the ordeal," I told her as she was packing up the tripod. She didn't stop her duties, but I knew she was listening. "I'd like to take you out to lunch, if you don't mind." I felt like I was bad at giving propositions. Maybe it was all in my head.

When she finally finished her job and neatly stacked the items we used, she smiled at me. "I suppose that would make me feel better," she said, still smiling. She grabbed her keys and took my hand, in a strange gesture. Her hand was soft, warm, and relatively small. I don't think that she realized just what she was doing until the two of us were outside her front door. She blushed and quickly let go of my hand. Mine felt cold again.

Although she was driving, I led her to a small cafe just outside the city. She was immediately thrilled with the place, and I felt as if I had done my job. "How did you know about this place?" she would ask me. I just shrugged in response, still in awe of her appreciation.

We ate with a steady stream of small talk. She discussed her plans for college and I told her mine. We talked about teachers, inside jokes, and some of our friends. It was almost a perfect way to spend my afternoon. After we finished sitting in the cafe, she took my back to my house.

"I'll see you at school on Monday," she said to me, just as I was getting out of her car. I nodded in response and she smiled. I walked into my empty house with, dare I say, a smile on my face.

Even through the tumult of the morning, I felt like everything in my life was going in the right direction. Little did I know that that was soon to change.

Almost immediately after Bulma's car left the driveway, my phone rang. Thinking it was her, I answered, something I rarely do. I was met with an unhappy voice.

"What the hell were you doing with my girlfriend?" The voice asked me in a tone I didn't care for. I immediately recognized it as the bane of my existence. Yamcha.

I rolled my eyes, expecting such behavior from a lesser being. "We went to lunch. We're friends. It's what we do." I answered him condescendingly.

"You had better be telling the truth or I fucking swear, you're life will become hell." Click. He hung up on me. I wasn't surprised, and I disregarded it very quickly.

Life was magnificent. Things were perfect.

But it is always extremely calm before a hard storm.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** Pretty short. Sorry about that. I'll have the next installment out soon, since I spend most of my time in Calculus writing, not "learning" Calculus. I think it's too easy.  
Thanks for all the reviews. They kept me excited! Feel free to review this time too! 


	8. Chapter Seven: With Benefits

**With Benefits  
****Chapter Seven: With Benefits**

The next week went relatively well. The entire school was excited that our football team was going to the playoffs (for the first time in four years), and many of those who came to congratulate me were girls. Some of them were girls that I would easily be able to take out on a date. Something inside me loved this, and I didn't want it to be gone. It was a freedom to choose who I would pay attention to. It was glorious.

Bulma was included in the congratulating of me and Kakarot. She and I also were doing very well. She actually started talking to me instead of ignoring me. It forced me to remember how dull and boring our conversations were to me.

Yamcha became more hostile toward me and more protective over his girlfriend. He made it so that she wasn't allowed to watch the football practices, and almost went so far as to make it so that she couldn't even be around me. Bulma fought hard on that, and she won. His over-protectiveness was making me slightly paranoid, and I couldn't help but wonder if he really knew about the encounters Bulma and I had. It was just me though. I knew he really didn't know. There was no way he could.

As I previously said, I was having a great week. On some occasions I was able to watch Bulma yell at all the other little band nerds. I thought I was starting to fall for her, but I disregarded it, convincing myself that I only wanted her body, and maybe to get back at Yamcha for being such an ass. Was I a horrible person?

As the week was winding down however, I started to ruin my wonderful life. Sometime during the regular school day on Friday I was approached by Bulma in the hallway. She had noticed that I was slightly struggling in Calculus (only because I didn't pay attention at all the previous week), and she wanted to help. I had a severe problem accepting help, unfortunately for her.

"Vegeta, I was noticing that you didn't do too well on that quiz in Calc yesterday. Since you are coming over to my house tomorrow anyway, do you want some help while you're over?" she asked me with every intention of going through with her idea.

I glared at her however, knowing full and well that she was going to get angry, sad, or both. "I don't need or want your help. I was just having a bad day." So I had to make her distraught and lie to her. Brilliant move there, genius.

She glared in return, before speaking again. "It's your loss, Vegeta. But forget I even asked." As she walked away, I felt a little remorse and guilt. But deep inside me, I knew that she knew that she shouldn't have asked. Her fault, not mine. Or at least I convinced myself of that.

Within an hour of that confrontation it was time to prepare for the game. And it was over as soon as it started.

Everything went normally before the game. We ate our ritual silent dinner, and prepped ourselves for a different stadium and a different crowd. We got the luck of having to play at another team's stadium, and I had a bad feeling about it; so did Kakarot. When the team arrived, we suddenly knew that we were severely out-matched. As if in a flash, the game was over. We lost 14-35, but I saw it coming. Our crowd from home was dejected, but we still held our heads high. This was the start to my declivity, and I was going to start snowballing until I finally crashed at the end.

More bad news came after the game when I tried talking to Bulma to apologize. She ignored everything I was saying and just left. Yamcha was immediately behind her and looked back at me with a condescending smirk. I wanted to get angry at him, and I wanted to hit him across the face. I refrained.

I went to bed that night with a lot on my mind, mostly how I lost the game. There were other thoughts that crept inside, but I squelched them by finally falling asleep.

I woke up to a surprise.

When I went downstairs, I found both of my parents, sitting on the couch, watching a movie. I was almost too surprised to even speak, but I managed a few words.

"I didn't think you two lived here anymore," I said to them, walking into the kitchen. I found absolutely nothing to eat, but it didn't bother me, because there wasn't a friendly little note, telling me that my parents were gone. They were right there, in the living room, watching a movie.

When I walked back into the room, my mother actually acknowledged that I had said something earlier. "Your father and I wanted to spend today at home. If you need to go somewhere today, feel free to take the car. Just telling us where you're going first." She smiled and went back to the movie.

What a turn of events! "Well actually, I have to go to Bulma's house to work on a project." I looked at the clock and realized I didn't have much time until I needed to be there. "Now, actually."

I recall hearing a "that's fine, dear" before I walked out the door, in a better mood. Something inside me caused me to grab my Calculus book and take it with me to her house. I had driven my parent's car many times before, so I didn't really have a problem when I began driving to Bulma's house. It took me no time at all to arrive at her house, but I was shocked at what I saw when I got there.

Kakarot's car sat in the driveway, but he and his girlfriend were sitting in the car talking like couples do. Bulma's car also sat there, of course, because she lived there. However, there was an extra car. I recognized it as Yamcha's car and groaned. The two of them were probably doing disgusting things to each other, and that thought made me sick. So I sought to fix it.

I got out of the car and walked up to Bulma's door to knock. I left my book in my car. I was surprised to hear screaming coming from the other side of the door. It was Bulma. And she was yelling at Yamcha.

"I saw you do it!" I heard her yell. "It was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen!"

I was extremely curious as what would cause her to fight with him like that. So I went through with my first plan and knocked on the door. The yelling immediately stopped. I was greeted by Yamcha's face, and there was a large red mark across his face. Inwardly, I laughed, knowing that she had slapped him. He glared at me, pushed me to the side, and left in a hurry. I was joined by Kakarot and ChiChi at the doorstep, and the three of us saw Bulma sitting on her floor in tears.

I wanted to comfort her like a normal person, but I was beaten to the punch by ChiChi. The other girl wrapped a comforting arm around Bulma's shoulder. They said something to each other in hushed tones, and Kakarot and I just looked at each other. Within seconds, Bulma wiped her tears away and put a smile on her face.

"So I guess it's about time to finish this stupid project, right?" she asked Kakarot and I. She obviously didn't want to talk about the argument, and none of us asked.

We began working right away, putting on our costumes and practicing rolling our "R's." I felt a little silly sitting around, speaking Spanish in a bull-fighter's costume. I was the debonair bull-fighter who falls in love with a Spanish beauty, played by Bulma. Her character, of course, was already in love with someone else, another charming bull-fighter, played by Kakarot. His character however begins having an affair with ChiChi's character, a Spanish maid. In effort to insight revenge, Bulma's character begins having an affair with my character, and at the end, Kakarot's character ends up with ChiChi's and mine ends up with Bulma's. I saw an uncanny resemblance to my life in the play.

"Well, that's it I guess," Bulma said with a smile. "We actually finished it! I'll do some last minute editing and then I'll let you guys watch it."

Kakarot was the first to respond. "Would it be alright if we wanted to see it before you edit it?" he asked with all seriousness.

"Sure! Do you want to see it now?" she asked him.

I heard his stomach growl all the way across the room. "Actually, I think ChiChi and I were going to get some lunch first. Is it okay if we come back later?"

"That's fine, we can all watch it together in a few hours. I guess you can call me just before you come over." She smiled.

The couple left and I was just behind them, when Bulma told me not to go. I turned around and walked back to her to ask why she still wanted me here. The smile she just had on her face turned down and she seemed to become smaller somehow. Something was truely bothering her, and I suppose that she expected me to help her.

"Vegeta... you didn't happen to hear me yelling at Yamcha earlier, did you?" she asked, sounding as if she were regretting it. I nodded, not feeling like saying much. "Oh. Well, then. Knowing you, I assume you want to know why... so here it goes.

"After the game last night, he walked me to my car and told me goodnight, etc. etc. I was pretty content with everything, but I wanted to tell Yamcha something else. By the time I remembered what it was, he was already gone, and I had assumed he had gone home. So I went over to his house, because my phone was dead. When I got there, I noticed an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway, but I didn't think anything of it." She sighed and moved toward the camera to rewind our project tape. I moved to sit on the couch, thinking that this was going to become a long story fast. She started talking again, moving toward me.

"I also realized that his parents weren't home, so I didn't think it would be a big deal if I knocked on his door after midnight. There were a few lights on in the house, and there was music playing. At the time I didn't think anything of it. So I knocked on the door. The music quit playing and I heard Yamcha's voice and another girl's voice. He didn't answer the door for a long time, and when he did, he was shirtless and holding up his pants with his hand. You can guess how angry I was... I chose not to talk about it to him until this morning." She looked at me with piercing eyes. "I don't want to leave him. Not yet. I want to make him hurt."

At that moment she pushed her lips into mine with a fury and passion that I enjoyed almost too much. She was lying on top of me her hands on the back of my head and I could feel her body heat mixed with mine. I had no intention to stop her assault on me, and began to give in, kissing her back with just as much force. Her hands moved to my abdomen to remove my shirt. She achieved her goal only halfway, when I stopped.

"Bulma. This isn't right." Her face was still extremely close to mine and her body was still pressing on a delicate part of my body. "I understand your want for revenge, but this is far too fast." I sat up, moving her off of my lap. She, in response, let her head drop to her chest.

"I know," she mumbled. "But now what are we supposed to do. It's obvious that we want each other--"

"And we both can't afford to be in a relationship right now. Not with each other." I cut her off.

"Then what are we going to do?" she asked me, looking straight into my eyes.

I still wanted to take her right there, but I knew that there would be horrible consequences to my actions. "We will just have to stay friends... With benefits." I couldn't believe that I had just said that. I figured that in a few hours I would regret it. Regardless, I took one last kiss from her beautiful pink lips and stood up.

She sat there, staring up at me with a smile. It was wrong to do what we were about to do, but it felt wrong not to. As far as we were both concerned, we would enjoy ourselves now and pay the consequences later.

"I guess I'll come back in a few hours." I said, just before leaving. She hugged me. I left, feeling amazing.

I didn't feel like going home, and decided that I would eat lunch out instead. I went through some fast-food place, craving a hamburger and some fries. As I was sitting by myself enjoying my lunch however, my phone rang. I looked at it, just to see if it was Bulma, and I answered.

"Vegeta, I need you to come back immediately. I have some bad news."

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note: **I know. I know. I'm a horrible horrible horrible person for putting that horrible cliff-hanger at the end. OoOoO the suspense! A good thing, I think you all will like, is that this is the longest chapter I've written. I'll blame... more than thirty reviews and the shortness of the last chapter. And now you all know EXACTLY how the title comes about! (I told you I knew where this story was going.) I wonder what that bad news is that Bulma has... Hm... 

Thanks for all the super reviews on the last chapter. My email is being weird, so I always have to come here to see if I get any. It makes me excited when I see the number go up! (Am I really that weird?) Anyway, feel free to review this one and tell me how bad I am with cliffs!


	9. Chapter Eight: Minor Problems

**With Benefits  
Chapter Eight: Minor Problems**

_"Vegeta, I need you to come back immediately. I have some bad news."_

Immediately following that statement, she said a quick good-bye and hung up the phone. For a few seconds, I sat there, my mind racing with the possibilities of what her bad news could be. If it had been anyone else, I would have taken my time and finished eating, but for Bulma, I felt the need to hurry as fast as I could. I never once stopped to ask myself what I was doing, but I knew that for some reason it was right. And really, it wouldn't be me if I second-guessed myself.

The drive back to Bulma's house was a blur, mostly because I was so anxious to find out what her problem was. There weren't a lot of things, but she sounded very serious, so I had to take it seriously. Even though Bulma usually was melodramatic.

When I reached her front door, I didn't have the time to knock. Bulma pulled me into the room and her eyes were red around the edges. She was probably crying before I got there. In between tugging on the hem of her shirt and wringing her hands, she pulled me into her bedroom and forced me to sit on the bed.

I didn't have a lot of time to admire the position I was in, but I took in enough. Her sheets were a deep blue silky material, if not silk itself. The walls had a tinge of light blue, and everything was accented by something that was either blue, or complemented the color. I realized at that time that either Bulma loved herself because her eyes and hair matched nearly everything else she owned, or she loved her stuff because it all matched her. Everything was neat and orderly except the woman herself, who couldn't sit still.

"Oh, Vegeta, I don't know what to do!" she started, and I noticed the camera plugged into her computer and the computer attached to her large television. She was fiddling with the three objects and I had no idea of what to say.

"I don't know why it happened, and I was sure that I did everything right so that nothing like this would happen, but I guess I did something wrong and…" she trailed off as I stood up and put my index finger to her lips with a "Shh." I didn't know whether I was really trying to comfort her, or if I just wanted her to shut up, but regardless, it worked.

"Just tell me exactly what's wrong," I responded. I had a pretty good idea, but I wanted to be sure. It had something to do with that camera.

Bulma sat down on her bed and I followed suit. "Well… when we were all finished recording, I rewound the tape inside the camcorder." She started wringing her hands again, and I had to take them in mine so that she wouldn't rub them raw. She continued, "I guess I accidentally told it to record, because all of our work was erased… and replaced." I knew just what she was talking about, but I let her finish. "It starts out with the two of us on the couch… and that display… and it cuts to somewhere in the middle of all the stuff we recorded earlier this morning." Bingo. I was right. "So now I don't know what to do, because Goku and ChiChi want to come over and watch it." She sighed, apparently finished with her short story.

We sat silent for awhile as I tried to come up with a solution. Her head lay softly on my shoulder, and I wasn't sure if she was crying or not.

It hit me fairly quickly, my brilliant idea. I decided to share it with her.

"Everything will probably be fine. It's just a minor problem. You can just tell them that the tape was bad and it didn't record." When I finished, she gave me a look of skepticism. "You could always tell them the truth, and then explain why they're not allowed to see it. I'm sure they would love to hear that you and I have made a pact."

She rejected that option more and settled on the former idea. Bulma found another blank tape and put it into the camcorder. Everything she did seemed to have a better order with it, and I knew that she was feeling much better.

My plan worked like magic. Bulma called Goku and ChiChi with a feigned distraught air in her voice, and when the pair came over, the four of us shot the short video again. Bulma made sure this time that she wouldn't do anything absentminded, and I double-checked what she did when we were all finished, while trying not to look like I was worried about her doing something wrong. I had a suspicion that ChiChi was getting suspicious. Or perhaps I was just being paranoid.

Everyone stayed at Bulma's house until late in the afternoon, and we all talked about the normal things teenagers discuss. I didn't have much of a mind to stick around for that long, but something compelled me to say. It is said by Shakespeare that "Men at times are masters of their own fates" but I believed that that moment that there was a greater reason why I forced myself to stay so much later. I had no intentions of wooing Bulma again, and I really didn't enjoy hanging out with an idiot, a harpy, and the girl I'm coveting. And espeically not all at once. Luckily for me, the festivities, if they could be called that, died down and the happy couple left.

So I... was left once again... alone with Bulma.

Again, I state, I had no intentions of trying to steal another kiss from Bulma, if not something more. As planned (for me) we didn't share another kiss, or anything for that matter, except words. We continued to discuss useless items inside our heads, just relaxing and enjoying the moment. The living room was calm and placid, and I thought that I could stay in that one place forever. But fate had it in for me.

A knock sounded at the door to Bulma's house, and it caused me to check the time while she answered it. 5:27. I shrugged it off and turned to see who had arrived. With my limited sight, I noticed a male voice and immediately recognized it as Yamcha. Peachy.

"...free to come in! I was just entertaining Vegeta for a few minutes..." I overheard while Bulma lead Yamcha to where I was sitting.

I stood up immediately, turned around, and was met with the same glare I held. I had expected nothing less than the hatred I felt from Yamcha. He suspected that Bulma and I had been fooling around, I knew it. Oh boy, was he wrong.

I walked around the couch to come face to face with him. He was the first to speak.

"Just entertaining each other? Alone?" he asked, but I wasn't sure to whom he was speaking. There was a twinge of displeasure in his voice, but I knew he was only masking his true emotions. He wanted to yell at me, choice words, and perhaps throw some punches. Instead, he continued to talk. "So now Bulma's turning into a little whore? Or are you just taking her when she's vulnerable?"

Bulma stood by without speaking. She looked indifferent and I didn't understand why. She backed away from Yamcha and I, but not too far away. She was slightly closer to me. I thought his words would make her blood boil like they did mine, yet she was still calm and cool. I didn't have the time to ponder her actions however, and I returned to simply glaring at Yamcha who intended to ruin my eardrums with his yelling.

"So now you're not going to deny it? Am I right? You're screwing my girlfriend behind my back! I knew you were nothing but trouble. A dirty fucking ---"

He didn't have the time to finish his rant. My fist clinched at my side; it didn't stay there for long, and something inside me forced violence. I brought my fist up and hit Yamcha square on the jaw. Without noticing his reaction, I walked immediately by him and out the door. Neither Yamcha nor Bulma followed me out to my car. I felt a small sense of pride, raging anger, and a tiny amount of guilt. Minute. Miniscule.

The rest of the night was mostly a blur. I went home as fast as I possibly could, and tried to relax. I kept asking why I had gotten so worked up for what the ass had said, but I never found a good answer. Perhaps it was all the false accusations he had yelled at me. Maybe I wanted to defend Bulma. After I fell asleep that night however, the thought never again crossed my mind.

After that night Yamcha was always watching what I said to Bulma and how I acted around her. He never confronted me however, and I thought it was best for his health if he didn't even talk to me. Most of the time, I got my wish.

I was feeling great about life, and the feeling lasted for quite some time.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** Well. I know what you're thinking. 'FINALLY!!'  
Yes, I finally updated. I've been having a rough couple of weeks lately I suppose. Nothing major: a cold, lots of work, and a pig show. Just... not any time to write. But I finally forced this small chapter out of myself. Lucky for you, the next chapter is going to speed things up a bit and will take place about two months in the future (according to the story). I hope to have that up in a reasonable amount of time. If it gets to two weeks, feel free to email me and get me off my lazy ass!!

Thanks for all the reviews that I have received so far. I hope you feel the motivation to review more! (Cause that gives me the motivation to write more!!)


	10. Chapter Nine: Happy Birthday

**With Benefits  
Chapter Nine: Happy Birthday**

The weeks turned into months, and in no time at all I realized that I had been having a high school affair with Bulma for almost three months. Throughout the rest of the semester I watched her in classes and on the times when she would catch my gaze, she would smile at me, being sure not to make it obvious that we were playing a game of, dare I say, love. At the time I didn't consider it to be love, because I was a callous person. Today however, I realize that all the silly things we did to each other were neither out of revenge nor sexual pleasure.

To try to hide our visitations and pining during the school day we would write secret admirer notes to one another using different names. We would be sure not to use any of our friends in the delivery; for fear that they might get suspicious. Unless of course it was Goku, whom we trusted not to think to hard about the situation. Surprisingly no one suspected a thing except for Yamcha, who feared to even bring the topic up to me since I punched him in the nose. Bulma quickly quelled his suspicions with a dismissal that her secret admirer notes were "Just a silly crush of a lonely high school boy." Yamcha never found out that Bulma too was writing notes.

Everything was going very smoothly for us. After school was dismissed for the holidays, we would find time for each other when possible. The winter weather was very fluctuating and it would occasionally be unseasonably warm. When it was warm and all our other friends were busy, I would take Bulma out to the park where we would sit and talk about useless topics, like all people under the age of 25. Sometimes, she would meet me there and we would pick up lunch or coffee. It was pleasant when I was around her, and I sometimes hated to see her leave my presence.

I was happy to find out that I would no longer have to put up with the meat heads on the high school football team. I had very little desire to play any other sport. My desired laid with spending as much of my time and attention on Bulma. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen according to plan.

In early January classes resumed and a new schedule caused me to see less and less of Bulma. Calculus was kicking my ass and I forced myself to study so I wouldn't fall behind. This meant that I wouldn't be able to see Bulma as often on the weekends or during school without making a scene. For a few weeks I was afraid that I was going to lose something I had fought so hard to come by -- a "girlfriend" for more than a week. Of course, she was someone else's girlfriend in public. But it's the private life that matters.

Don't get too worried about my relationship though. I still saw Bulma in both lit and Calculus, (and therefore lunch) so all was not lost. There was even a small ray of hope that shone during said lunch. Yamcha wasn't there. His schedule also proved to be a pain to his relationship, but I knew he would simply use his away-from-Bulma time to flirt with other girls. It was magnificently convenient.

January sped by quickly, until the final week. A special occation was occuring that week. I knew I had to be perfect, even though I was not Bulma's "boyfriend."

"Really ChiChi, I don't want something extravagant. Don't expect me to enjoy my own birthday party if it's full of drunken jocks making out with bubbly cheerleaders all excited to lose their virginity." Bulma said one day at lunch.

The black haired girl replied, "I know you, Bulma. I know you hate those kind of parties and you can trust me to keep it to our specifications. I mean, it IS your 18th birthday."

What I had gathered from the short conversation, it seemed as if Bulma was celebrating her birthday with the help of ChiChi as her planner. The ideas were already beginning in my head and I had so many nice things to pull from. No one would even suspect that I had put forth the effort by the time I was finished.

As we (ChiChi, Kakarot, Bulma and myself) were leaving lunch to go to our final class of the day, ChiChi stopped me as Kakarot and Bulma walked on. I shifted my books in an annoyed fashion. She must have either not noticed or not cared.

"So are you going to be there? Saturday. At 6. Will you make your presence known?" She sounded just as annoyed as I acted. She probably could care less if I made an appearance.

"And ruin my Saturday? No thanks." I rolled my eyes at her and began walking off. I was just barely out of earshot when I heard her growl something foul. I smirked. Even though I seemed to be getting soft toward Bulma, I could still piss of a commoner.

The final class of the day went by quickly and because it was Monday, I was ready to get out of the school. After four years in one place, doing basically the same thing day in and day out, it begins to eat away at your soul. If I even had a soul.

I was almost out of the front door when I heard Bulma calling my name. I turned to see her rushing up beside me; something had obviously bothered her. She appeared angry and sad at the same time.

"ChiChi told me that you wouldn't be caught dead at my birthday party. Is that true?"

I let out a frustrated sigh and told her to walk with me to the parking lot. "Yes. That is what I told her. But you know me. If I let on that I was being nice for once, everyone would expect me to be the perfect gentleman and that would get on my nerves."

She glared at me disapprovingly. "That's a terrible answer. Just because you're a misanthrope doesn't mean that you have to take it out on me too."

Before I could studder a response, she quickly walked on to her car where Yamcha was waiting for her eagerly. At that moment I realized that I didn't understand a thing about women and probably never would. She was thinking completely irrationally and wouldn't let me respond. It would have taken a miracle to get her to even acknowledge my presence. Luckily for me, I was feeling like making a few miracles.

For three days I racked my brain for the best thing to do for the girl that I considered to by my azure princess. All the ideas I ran through seemed sappy or just not my style. To take her out on the town would risk the two of us getting caught together. Plus, I wasn't really on her good side, so I had to be stealthy in my actions. So I settled on something simple, and by her birthday on Friday, everything fell into place just perfectly.

I thought about skipping school on Friday, but I had no desire to answer to some of my anal teachers. Instead I chose to avoid Bulma at all costs, even sometimes ignoring her. I could tell that she was suffering from some sort of anxiety since I didn't say one word to her, but I knew that all the ignoring would just make what I planned to do that much more special. By four o'clock on Friday, I had everything set and ready, my only problem was that I needed Bulma out of her own house. To solve it, I simply called Kakarot and pleaded with him that I needed Bulma out of her house. He suspected nothing and I was free to carry out my plan.

It had gotten to the point in our relationship that I started to know her house like the back of my hand, which only aided in my plan. Luckily for me, I was granted the gift of my parent's car that evening and proceeded to drive to Bulma's house with a car full of red balloons. Trust me, it didn't impede my vision... too much.

When I arrived at her house, I proceeded to remove the balloons from the car and place them, all 99 of them, in her bedroom. The room was a mixture of blue and red and when the light touched the balloons perfectly, the walls became a somewhat purplish hue. But I had no time to stare in awe. My plan wasn't complete.

Still in the car were thirteen red roses. I placed twelve of them in a beautiful vase on her desk, with a small sappy card. The other one rose I placed on her well-made bed. At the start of my plan, I had no desire for sex. By this time however, something inside me felt like it was lighting my insides on fire. The two of us had kept the relationship to nothing sexual. I didn't know if it had to do with her having sex with Yamcha or if she was just not ready, but I agreed only to further the relationship if she wanted it. And at this point, I wanted her to want it.

I called Kakarot back shortly after the roses to let him know that it was safe to bring Bulma home. I discarded the thing he said about her not being with him. After that, I parked my car in the driveway of an abandoned house and walked back to Bulma's. I chose to sit on her bed with the solitary rose.

Anticipation seemed to be eating away at my soul as I sat there. It seemed like hours of waiting. Much of my attention was devoted to listening for a door to open and to hear Bulma walk through the door. Therefore, when I heard a set of keys crash to what sounded like a kitchen table, I perked up and became fully alert. I was alert to all the sounds. And as I listened further, none of them were pleasant.

There was Bulma's obvious giggling, a sound that made me suspicious. And there were two sets of footsteps. More suspicion. I decided to listen closer, because I swore that I heard voices.

"...Yamcha, stop..." more giggling "my parents could be home soon..." more giggling.

I recognized the voice immediately as hers. Suddenly I couldn't think anymore, and I tried to rip the rose I had in my hand into shreds, only causing me physical pain. The thorns tore into my skin, but I didn't care. It was nothing next to the emotional pain that felt at that moment though. I realized I needed to get out of Bulma's bedroom also, and with my bleeding hands, I opened her window and jumped out. Not even wanting to stay any longer, I ran out of the bushes I had fallen into and found myself in her driveway. Demented thoughts raced through my head, but I didn't have the power to act them out.

When I finally reached my own car across the street and got in, I simply sat there. I had tried to do so much for her just to make up for one stupid thing I had said. And where had it gotten me? It got me sitting alone in a car with blood drying on my hands. Maybe I had thought that Bulma was only in love with me. Was I being selfish? Afterall, we told each other that we were just friends with benefits. Nothing more. And she had a boyfriend. But something inside me was shattered.

I felt alone.

I felt betrayed.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Author's Note and Notice:** Well. First off, I'm sorry for the HUGE delay. I seems like when life wants to give you bad things... It wants to give you all the bad things all at once. And that has been my March. Let's just say that there have been so many things, one after another and to list them all would take a few lines. Lines I don't want to take up. 

If you feel like talking to me about them, feel free to email me or talk to me on AIM. I like to talk to people about my numerous problems.

Secondly, this chapter was actually going to have a happy ending. . I guess that's what semi-depression causes. I'm sorry. Things will get happier.

Finally, I'm thinking about writing another fic. I want to know if it's a good idea or not. It will be called The Tragedy of Trunks, and mostly based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Interesting? Anyone?


	11. Chapter Ten: Answers

**With Benefits****  
Chapter Ten: ****Answers**

I didn't know what to think after that night. Everything in my life seemed so confusing and nothing really seemed to matter. I became severely unhappy with everything in my life that reminded me of any feelings I had for Bulma. And I made her thoroughly aware of my unhappiness.

"I feel like I have no time anymore. Do we really have a lot of work in all these classes?" Bulma asked one day the next week while we sat at lunch together.

I set my face in a glare directly at her. "You would have more time to do work if you wouldn't spend so much time fucking your boyfriend," I told her blatantly. I had no intention of hiding my anger towards her. She stared at me as if the daggers I had spoken set her in a state of confusion. It was like I was saying things that were hard to comprehend. But I knew what I had heard that night. With every other remark I made concerning her sex life, Bulma became more and more confused about my statements. Rather than leaving me alone, she chose to move closer, to continue to ask me why I was acting so irrationally and saying such ridiculous things. After the final bell that Friday, she confronted me before Kakarot and I left the school.

While grabbing my wrist, she pulled me aside and told me to follow her into an abandoned hallway. She stared up to me with a pleading look in her eyes and looked almost… sad.

"Vegeta…" she began in a soft, quite voice. "Why are you being so mean to me? All week you've been saying things that don't make sense about my quote-unquote love life with Yamcha. What's gotten into you?"

I had half a notion to just blow her off right there. How could she stand there and act innocent as if she had done nothing? "Why shouldn't I be acting this way towards you? You lead me on and on with your innocent looks, telling me how this "relationship" of ours doesn't need to be consummated and yet, you'll claim that your relationship with Yamcha is simply for show to the outside world. It must be for show in private too." I glared at her.

"Vegeta… what are you talking about?" Every time she looked at me, I swore I could see genuine concern and confusion, but I disregarded it.

"I don't want to ruin your happy little life, so don't even worry about it. This is the last time I'll get involved with a whore like you," I said coldly. I turned to walk out of the school but was stopped by a gripping hand on my forearm. I wasn't concerned about the pain she may have thought she was causing me. I was more concerned that my arm would start bleeding and then I would have to explain to everyone why my arm would have marks on it. I really didn't want to deal with that, so I turned back to her. Before I could set my own face in a glare however, I saw the same expression staring back at me. Her blue eyes were full of fire, and I could then tell that she really was trying to cause me bodily harm.

I sighed heavily and I felt the grip loosen on my arm. I refused to look at her, knowing she would see the defeat in my face. I felt so weak and powerless against her. She noticed anyway.

"Vegeta…" she said pleadingly. "Just tell me what you're talking about. I'm sure everything is not as bad as both of us think it is."

_You have no idea_I thought to myself. Half of me wanted to stay cruel to her. The other half knew that she was probably the greatest thing I've ever experienced and I could probably forgive her for whatever she did. I chose to agree with the latter half.

"Last Friday, I went over to your house to surprise you for your birthday. I filled your room with balloons and bought a dozen roses. I was lying on your bed, waiting for you to come home for what felt like an eternity. When I finally heard someone come in the house, it was not one set of footsteps, but two. And then I heard your voice say something to Yamcha about "stopping," and there was a lot of giggling. I couldn't believe what I heard, so I left out your window. And that, is why I've been so heartless toward you."

Her face fell. "Oh," was all she said after that. She completely let go of my arm, and sighed. I could almost see tears in her eyes, but I chose not to look. She began walking away from me without another word. And I let her go. Soon after she was no longer visible, I walked out of the school as well where Kakarot was waiting for me.

"Hey, man, what's up? You were in there a while." He asked me. I didn't know if he was told to play dumb or if he really was that unobservant. Afterall, Bulma had just walked out of the school only seconds before I had. Certainly he had noticed her unhappiness.

"Don't worry about it and let's just go." I started walking toward his car to see two people already in it. I stopped, turned to him, and set my face in an expression of mixed confusion and anger.

"ChiChi didn't drive to school this morning so I have to take her and Bulma home. I hope you don't mind sitting in the backseat with her. I know you don't really like her all that much."

I shrugged. I guess he really was just that unobservant.

I got in the backseat and sat next to the weakest creature I had ever seen. Bulma's face was set in a blank stare, and I couldn't help but want to hold her. But I knew it was wrong. It had to have been. For one, she and I were supposed to keep our "relationship" secret; and for another, she had gone against her vow to me. The entire ride home, I realized that I should have forgiven her. I wanted to forgive her. I needed to forgive her. Afterall, everyone is perfect in their imperfections. And it was just one little mistake.

After I was taken back to my house, I knew I needed to talk to her. Stupid guilty conscience. So because of said stupid guilty conscience, I took the initiative.

The phone rang. And rang. And rang. And with every ring, I got more uneasy with swallowing my pride.

"Vegeta," she answered exasperatedly. "I don't feel like--"

"Shh." I cut her off. "I know you're unhappy. But I called because I want to forgive you and I want to ask if you will forgive me for being so cruel to you this past week."

"Vegeta, I'm really sorry for everything. I never got to thank you for your gift. I'm really sorry…"

"Bulma, stop. I know you're sorry. I believe you. And I want to give you another chance."

"I promise I won't ever do it again. It really meant nothing."

"I understand. And I trust you."

"Vegeta… I think I love you."

I smiled, but I couldn't respond. I was ready to swallow my pride for her, but to get that low was nearly impossible. When I didn't say a response, she continued talking.

"I'm not going to feel bad if you don't love me in return. I know you feel uncomfortable being in this situation, so I'm going to get off the phone. Enjoy your night."

Before I could say goodbye, she hung up the phone. I felt a small amount of regret that I hadn't said anything to her, but it passed very quickly. At least I knew that she felt something for me that was greater than what I believed it was. And the next step for us would be the fun part: Getting her to realize that I loved her too, without actually telling her those three little words.

**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** Oh wow. It's been so long. So so long. I'm so sorry you guys. I've been extremely busy lately, and it seems like I suffer from clinical depression. The next chapter will come soon. This one was kind of hard only because I hadn't seen it in a few weeks. I know what's going to happen in the next one, so maybe it won't take more than a month? I hope you enjoyed this filler-chapter.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Forbidden Discussion

**With Benefits  
Chapter Eleven: Forbidden Discussion**

That night was trapped in my head for days afterward. All the things I should have said kept surfacing, and I felt like I had acted like such a jerk. Why would I be feeling this way? She was the disloyal one. She was the one that broke my heart. Great; now I sound sappy. Regardless, I felt hurt, but at the same time, I felt like a jerk for being such a jerk. Funny how that works.

I distanced myself from Bulma for a week after our phone conversation. Hearing her tell me that she loved me feel uncomfortable around her, but I wanted so badly to run to her, sweep her into my arms, and profess my feelings to her. Look at me; I'm getting sappy again.

By the time I'd found the courage to approach her again, it was getting too late for any serious conversation. As February was coming to a close and March was just beginning, every girl in high school was getting antsy about only one thing. Prom. I couldn't take two steps in that high school without overhearing some silly conversation about the drama of prom dresses, shoes, hair styles, nails, and all the accessories.

"Oh my GOD! I went shopping yesterday, and I found the cutest pink dress but ohmygod it was totally four hundred dollars!!" was one of those certain conversations. It drove me and every other male in that building crazy, but there was nothing we could do about it. The madness had already begun, and it would snowball into something so stressing and emotionally taxing, every woman in that building would be crazy by May. Bulma was no exception. Or so I thought.

"Calm down, Chi. It's March. Prom is not for another two months. You should be like me: calm, cool, and totally collected." I heard Bulma say while she and ChiChi were having one of their hourly meetings at her locker. Unfortunately, I did not go undetected when I tried to walk by them, a copy of Wuthering Heights in my hand. The girls had spotted me after over a week of my covert operations, and at that point, it had all seemed to be a waste.

"Hey, Vegeta!" the two of them said in unison. I froze, plastered a sarcastic smile on my lips, and turned around.

"If it isn't my two least favorite people on the entire planet," I said, joining them. I saw a flash of despair cross Bulma's eyes when I said that, and I felt a little guilty. But it was justifiable, right? We were only crazy about each other when we were alone. Any other time, I was myself. I didn't want to make anyone suspicious.

ChiChi rolled her eyes. As luck would have it, she spotted someone else to randomly speak to, and what I had been trying to avoid for over a week was staring me right in the face. Even though it was a very crowded hallway, I felt like I was completely alone with Bulma staring up at me. Her blue eyes held too much emotion for me to analyze; I had trouble telling if she was angry, saddened, or a combination of the two. The seconds dragged on like hours while we both just stood there, looking at each other. I honestly had nothing to say, but I was too focused on wondering what the woman was thinking to let my own mind wander. I could tell that the words were right on her lips ready to be said, but something was holding her back. She was worried about my reaction. She was expecting me to reassure her that I wouldn't begin acting berserk. She wouldn't receive that luxury; I was too unhappy that I had been spotted before I could have enough time to avoid Bulma and contemplate our phone conversation. Her silence was starting to annoy me.

"If you've got something to say, I'd suggest you say it now. I have a class to get to," I said softly, but a little more harshly than I had expected.

And then I saw it. Regret blanketed her features and tears filled her eyes. She stopped looking up at me, and her eyes darted to the floor. I wanted to comfort her, and at the same time, I wanted to watch her suffer in the emotional torture she'd created for herself. I chose to do neither, and, instead, I simply attempted to walk away. I didn't even fully get turned around before Bulma's cold hand grasped my arm. I glared back at her.

"Look," I started with her hand still on my arm, "I can tell that you're upset and you want something from me, some kind of confirmation or reassurance or something. But you can't have that right now. You have to give me time to think. I'd advise you to let go of my arm now." The words were cold, stern. I felt like I was reprimanding a small child. But I chose to keep it from bothering me, and did just as I had planned to do. I walked away.

For the rest of the week, I didn't need to be covert. Bulma left me well alone without me hiding from her. Whenever I would approach the group, she would pull Yamcha aside and talk to him alone. No one apparently noticed, and figured that I had simply said something that hurt her feelings like I tended to do to everyone. If they all only knew. Part of me wanted to tell someone what had been going on under their noses for almost half a year. Most of me wanted to keep it a secret, and the majority won every time.

When Yamcha wasn't around however, Bulma simply began talking to ChiChi about prom. She knew that both Kakarot and I would choose to either zone out or start our own discussion of something with much more substance than what color dress we wanted to wear. _I can see right through you_, I always thought to myself every time she broke away from our little group.

I felt bitter, like I used to be before Bulma and I got involved with each other. This thought kept me from simply telling Bulma that what we shared meant nothing to me and I would make arrangements to never see her again. When I thought about never seeing her again, something inside me would crack, and the idea would seem depressing. I wanted to talk to someone about this. I needed to talk to Bulma about this. I needed to tell her that I felt this way. Girls liked to hear those kinds of things. Besides that, it would be the truth. I shouldn't have to lie to Bulma. She doesn't deserve that. Or so thought my conscious mind at the time.

So I confronted her finally that Friday afternoon. I felt that I had had enough time to contemplate her actions, my actions, her words, and my words. Even after two weeks of thinking, nothing made sense, but I suppose that's the way high school relationships are.

I chose to go to her house because I figured that she would be alone. I was right. I knew Bulma very well. Walking up the steps felt like walking to my death, even though what I was about to tell her would be something very positive. Now I was the one with words on my lips and the fear that she would not act rationally. The irony made me laugh a little as I knocked twice on the door. I shoved my hands in my pockets, waiting for her to answer, and I pretended to look around at her yard. When the door finally opened, I couldn't help but smile at the creature staring back at me, a little surprised. Her hair was placed in cute pigtails on the sides of her head, and she was clad in a camisole and a pair of pajama pants.

"V-vegeta… what are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice quivered a little and I could sense the anxiousness in her being.

"We should talk, I think."

A flash of joy lit her eyes, but she tried to hide it with nonchalance. I smirked to myself at her attempt to act uncaring. She was adorable.

She let me in quickly and closed the door behind me. I walked into her sitting room and placed myself on her plush couch, where we had shared our first kiss. She sat right next to me and pulled her legs up to her chest. We sat in silence for a while, and Bulma began picking imaginary lint off the cushion.

"Bulma…" I began with no real intention of continuing. Just the feel of her name across my lips made me feel alive and willing to discuss all the things I was about to bring up.

She didn't look up, so I kept talking. "I've done a lot of thinking lately." I felt stupid for stating the obvious. I felt like I was talking to a child again.

"I forgive you for everything that you've done lately. I have no desire to hold anything against you, and I thought maybe you needed to know that…" My voice trailed off as if all the preparation I had made to give this speech disappeared.

"You mean a lot more to me than I thought you did."

That tiny, insignificant comment forced her to look me straight in the eye. She sat up completely and turned her body toward me. Her expression was unreadable any further than "keep going." But I didn't know what to say.

"And now I don't know what to say… Except… I don't know what I would do without you in my life. You drive me crazy Bulma Briefs. You throw me through so many different emotions and even though I wish I could take back some of the hurtful things I've said to you, I don't regret anything else."

"Vegeta…" Her voice was strained, and I noticed further that her eyes had filled with tears. One of her soft hands reached to cup the side of my face and my mind suddenly went blank from her touch. All I could think about was the tingling sensation in the side of my face and how it filled my entire body with a warmth that I couldn't describe in words.

"Vegeta," she repeated. "I told you once, and by God, I'll tell you again. I love you." In one quick motion, it was she whose fingers wrapped around the back of my neck and pulled me crashing into her lips. Her lips were sweet like candy and as addictive as nicotine as the two of us sat on that couch. We were a pile of heated fingertips and passionate kisses. I wanted to continue further into a realm that the two of us hadn't explored on each other, but at the same time I didn't want to overstep my boundaries. I settled for what she wanted and basked in all that was given to me

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**Post-Chapter Author's Note:** Yes, it has been awhile. No, I didn't expect it to take this long. Life is very very very hectic. Why? Who knows? Regardless, I finally finished it. I've been working on it since… what? May? You guys should really not let me get so lazy. . You know the drill: Review! 


	13. Chapter Twelve: I'm Like a Lawyer

Pre-Chapter Author's Note: This chapter starts out with LEMON. If you don't want to read it, feel free to begin further down. I will show you in BOLD when the lemon STOPS.

With Benefits  
Chapter Twelve: I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off

With one hand on the small of her back, I continued to assault Bulma's lips with my own. My other hand tangled its way into her hair in effort to give myself a little more control in kissing her. Her hands gripped tightly to my shirt as if she was begging to rip it off of me. In smooth and surreal motions, I managed to remove her tank top to find her completely braless underneath. I broke our kiss for only a few seconds to stare in awe at her beauty. She was gorgeous, perfect. And the pounding between my legs only reminded me of just how much I wanted her. Words could not describe how she looked when she stared up at me with her beautiful blue eyes. There was an air of innocence in her face that kept me from ravishing her, yet her lusty, heavy breathing was not helping me.

Very shortly after I ceased staring in awe at her, she did manage to rip off my shirt. It was like no sensation I had ever felt before as her warm hands caressed my torso. As we moved on the couch, a massive form of limbs and lips, I found her sitting on top of me, straddling my thighs while I was lying on my back, staring up at her. She smirked at me before diving back into my lips. Her firm breasts pressed my chest and so, with a free hand, I decided to massage one of them. I could feel her moaning against my mouth as I deftly moved the tip of my thumb over her erect nipples.

She had apparently decided that I had not been teased enough and began an onslaught of my body. Her mouth moved away from mine and she kissed entirely down my neck until she found a place between my neck and shoulder to sink her teeth into my flesh. Uncharacteristically, a moan escaped my lips as she continued to move down my body while nimbly undoing my jeans. It felt like heaven as she removed my pants and chose to run her tongue cleverly around my throbbing erection. I was having a hard time controlling myself. So it was her turn.

I managed to pin her down to straddle her waist and returned the favor by biting her in the same spot she had bitten me and her reaction drove me crazy. Her hips thrust upward to grind into mine and her eyes were shut tightly to allow her mouth to open in a heated moan of pleasure. I wanted to give her more and to drive her mad like she had been doing to me. I took one of her breasts in my hand and the other into my mouth, but decided not to stay there long. In a desire to have her completely naked just as I was, I quickly slid her pajama pants down her soft white legs. She was more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed. Again, I stared into her eyes that begged me to continue, yet still held a look of innocence.

I pried her legs open all too easily and moved my lips to her womanhood. With my fingers I opened her just a little more and dove my tongue inside her. A loud, guttural scream of pleasure escaped her lips and I saw her fingers grip the couch tightly. I continued to lap up her juices greedily while listening to her hoarsely moan my name, but I wasn't prepared to make her climax just yet.

I simple nod told me that she wanted this just as much as I did. With her hands across my cock, she guided me into her soft and tight womanhood. I slowly pushed into her and slowly pulled out, making her acclimated to having me inside her. Her legs wrapped around my thighs and her nails began to dig into the skin on my back as I created a rhythm with our hips. She fell into the rhythm quickly and it took no time at all to build up enough friction and speed to get me to orgasm just after she did, her muscles tightening and loosening around my member. I pulled out one final time and collapsed on top of her. She smiled at me, whispered my name, and said "I love you" one more time.

**-------------------------------------------------------LEMON STOPS HERE--------------------------------------------------------**

I opened my eyes to find myself drenched in a cold sweat and very much alone. The surroundings were my own room and bed and I quickly realized that I had just woken up from a very pleasant dream that left me with a very uncomfortable position between my legs. I sighed heavily and decided to go for a walk to perhaps clear my head. I had no intention of masturbating this problem away. It was far too early in the morning.

While clothing myself, I managed to glance at my alarm clock. 4:53. I groaned unpleasantly. It was too early to be awake and too late to go back to sleep. I figured I would go do something I hadn't done in a few months. I'd go for a walk.

March was still a little brisk for my liking and I pulled a hooded sweatshirt over my t-shirt. Quietly, I unlocked the front door, stepped onto the front porch, and stared at the empty street before me. A few street lamps were strategically placed to give me a little bit of light along my walk. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt and began my journey. I tried very hard through that entire walk to get Bulma off of my mind. It was a fruitless attempt, and I knew it would be from the get-go. I couldn't get the dream out of my head. It was as if it were planted securely in my brain and had already grown roots into other places of my brain. I tried thinking about sports, football, but when I did, I remembered halftime and Bulma leading the marching band as the drum major. I tried to think about gay men, but that made me think about Eliot Reid on Scrubs, which reminded me about how Bulma wanted to be a doctor someday. And then I finally decided to just think about her: the way she smiles, the way she tosses her hair when it gets in her face, the softness of her skin. As I thought about all of these things, I didn't feel turned on as I had previously. This was a different feeling entirely. There was a never-ending feeling of joy and desire to see her. I felt like I was going insane as my walk was coming to a main road and the sun was just barely rising. With the new light of the day, I found new light in myself. I truly was in love with Bulma Briefs.

I've never been "in love" before. I've never really cared for people who claim that they are in fact "in love" and it bothers me to think about the topic. Most people view love as something to savor like a delicious piece of salmon. Some people tell you to take heed when you fall in love. I felt neither of these. I almost felt apathetic and possibly afraid. I didn't want her to know how I felt about her just yet. She was a woman and if she knew, then she would tell her friends, who would tell more friends, who would eventually tell that idiot Kakarot, and I would never hear the end of it from anyone. I had to keep up appearances and if that meant acting like a cold-hearted bastard toward the woman I was apparently in love with, then so be it.

And like a rain cloud over my head, I realized my problem with that. Friday I had spent the better part of my night confessing to Bulma exactly what she made me feel. I told her just how crazy she made me feel and after that night, there wouldn't be any more forgiveness if I started treating her badly again.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize where I had ended up and stared up at a very large house. I laughed to myself in a somewhat hysterical way. My watch claimed that it was almost 6 AM and I had subconsciously walked myself to exactly where my thoughts had been all morning. I few lights were on in the house, but I didn't recognize what rooms they could have been. A smirk crept across my face as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. _I hope you're a morning person_, I thought as I made the phone dial Bulma's number.

"Herro?"

The voice that picked up the other line was so adorable that I almost forgot to speak. "Good morning," I said with a stupid grin on my face.

"Who is this?" she asked, sounding a little more awake.

"Let's go to breakfast. Hurry up, I'm already here." I completely avoided her question, knowing that she would figure it out at some point, whether it was now that she was more awake or when she hung up the phone.

"Gimme ten minutes." And with that statement, I heard her hand up the phone. I found a nice spot on her front porch, and sat myself on the concrete, waiting for her arrival. True to her word, she opened her front door ten minutes after our conversation. She was an angel in the doorway staring down at me with a silly smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back at her. Her features quickly became questioning and quizzical after I lifted myself from the porch and started walking, hoping she would catch on and start following.

"Vegeta…" she began, "Where is your car?" she quickly caught up to me in effort to make sure I was actually listening to her.

When she was finally by my side, I looked down into her curious eyes and smirked. "I walked here." I wasn't prepared to receive the reaction I got. She playfully slapped me on the arm and placed an interesting glare up at me. It was adorable to see her care so much. "What?" I asked. "Is there a problem with me walking here? Can't I just go for a morning stroll and end up at your doorstep?"

"You're so strange," she stated.

The two of us walked to a small café a few blocks from Bulma's house. We spent most of the morning there, drinking over-priced coffee and talking nonsense to one another. As we sat there basking in the gazes of one another, I could tell exactly what was on her mind. It was only a matter of time before she voiced it.

"Vegeta," she began, "what are you and I going to do about prom?"

It was the hardest question for me to answer at that moment. On one hand I could show Bulma the night of her life, but sacrifice months of secrecy and potentially lose the persona I'd built up over the years. I wanted to take her. I wanted to give her that perfect night.

But once again, I let my pride get in the way.

"Bulma, I really want to go with you. I'd love to show you the perfect night. But I can't. I don't want to sacrifice the months of secrecy."

Her gaze fell. I watched her try to keep a smile on her face. "I understand," she said quietly. I felt like I had said the wrong thing. That feeling worsened when she continued. "I just hope that you'll be there. I'll just go with Yamcha."

"I will go," I assured her. "And we will dance together. And we may even leave the dance together. But I cannot go with you as a couple."

She nodded in agreement and understanding. With the year that she and I had had thus far, I knew that she didn't want to fight about it.

Bulma and I spent the rest of that day together. It was wonderful. I went with her to look at prom dresses. She wanted my input, even though I wasn't her date. The only dress I remember her is was a beautiful royal blue gown. She looked like a princess in it, and I tried not to stare while she showed it off.

"I think I'll keep that one in mind," she told me as we walked out of small dress boutique. "And you should probably keep the color in mind." She winked at me after that final statement.

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**Post-Chapter Author's Note: ** I am SO SORRY that I have taken so long with this chapter. The next one will be coming as soon as I get over my slight writer's block. / 


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Calm Before the Storm

With Benefits  
Chapter Thirteen: The Calm Before the Storm

Every now and then, everyone makes a conscious decision to take a break from life and bask in the light of a beautiful day. Given the date and time, anyone else in my situation would have been tearing their hair out and screaming. You see, I chose to sit around and relax the day before my senior prom. I skipped classes that day just for the occasion; I felt very little desire to sit around with a bunch of idiots who wanted to do nothing more than talk about how magical the next night was going to be or what last-minute plans had to be set in place. I had already picked up my tuxedo and everyone else that I was attending this get-together with had made all the other plans.

So I decided to lie in the grass with my hands behind my head and stare at the clouds. It was a beautiful day. In retrospect, it was the calm before the storm. I closed my eyes and listened to nothing but the sound of my own breathing. The grass was soft, and the tree I was lying near was shady enough to block the mid-afternoon sun. Imprinted on the inside of my eyelids was her face. Her eyes were a crystal icy blue that pierced my entire being.

As if on cue, my phone rang and her beautiful five-letter name graced the screen of the device. I answered in a tone of annoyance with a rough, "Hello?"

"Where the hell have you been all day?!" a shrill scream erupted through the phone. When I didn't respond (due to holding the phone away from my head) she lowered her voice. "I looked for you all day with absolutely no luck. I thought maybe you'd show up to classes the Friday before prom."

I sighed. "I've been relaxing. You know… taking the day off." Guilt began growing in the pit of my stomach with each word I said through the receiver. It was as if I could feel her getting angry and upset with me. I had no intentions to calm her down. She was a woman. All women will calm down after a while.

"Vegeta…" she pleaded, "where are you? I want to talk to you about tomorrow night."

I rolled my eyes. She was going to ruin my entire day of relaxation with one simple conversation. "No. I don't want to talk. I'll see you before the dance." And with that, I hung up my phone. With a second thought, I turned the device off entirely. I really didn't want to be bothered. The guilt I had felt merely seconds before had subsided. If anyone had the power to change me back into what I once was: a cruel, heartless bastard, it was her.

I sat up from my prone position in the grass and stared at the sky. Dark grey clouds were looming in the distance. My existence at that moment was just like the calm before the storm. Everything in my life was just as it should be. I was still proving that I could be a cold, heartless jackass, and I was completely vacant of any kind of worry concerning what would occur twenty four hours from then. Cool, calm, blissful perfection. I felt freer than I ever had before.

Of course, I could hear thunder in the distance.

Under the realization that it was going to rain, I quickly picked myself up from the ground and started home. My head felt light with the understanding that everything was perfect. I had apparently forgotten how free it felt to be cruel and miserable. It was a catch-22 of sorts; being miserable and alone made me happy. These thoughts continued to swim in my head as I arrived at the doorstep of the place I called home.

My mother had recently learned that if we all took our shoes off at the door she would have to vacuum less. So like a good boy, I took my trainers off and set them nicely by the door. Mine were the only pair of shoes anywhere near the door. I was home alone. Surprise, surprise.

In my state of mental clarity, I forgot to check any messages my parents might have left me. I knew they wouldn't be home until later. It was a constant in my life; I guess they hadn't figured that out yet even though I'd known it for years. The one thing that did catch my eye however was the blinking red light on my answering machine. Curiosity got the better of me and I floated toward the small end-table the machine sat on.

"Hey, Vegeta… it's me. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, I was just a little irate that you weren't around all day. Anyway… I just wanted to let you know that you've been nominated for Prom King if you didn't already find out. I guess I'll talk to you later or see you tomorrow night. Call me if you've got any questions about where we're meeting. Bye."

Her voice sounded desperate. My brief moment of mental clarity ceased with listening to that message. How could I have been so cruel to her? She meant a lot more to me than I would ever let on, and yet I still found some perverse pleasure in berating her or just being plain cold. If that's all she had wanted to talk about, then she probably wouldn't have ruined my relaxing day. I sighed.

Her number was committed to memory at this point, and I didn't feel like simply bringing up her name in my contacts. One ring. Two rings. For a moment I thought I could feel her hesitating to answer, knowing she was a little hurt from our last confrontation. Third ring.

"Hello?" she answered just before the phone could ring on my end four times. Her voice held an interrogative inflection, but I knew she was just being polite. She knew it was me.

"I'm sorry about earlier." I wanted to elaborate. I wanted to tell her I was a callous jackass and that while I was being so cruel, I had a moment of true bliss, but I knew that all of that would push her away. So long mental clarity.

"I forgive you," she replied much to my surprise. "I know you're under a lot of stress right now," she continued, "it's only normal for all of us to be on edge. We'll be graduating any day now, and if you're feeling anything like me, then I know you're ready to punch the next person who talks to you in the face."

She was more violent than I had ever imagined. So this was the real Bulma. Maybe I could tell her about my moment of bliss.

"Vegeta?" she questioned. I then realized that I had been quiet far too long for a phone conversation.

"Oh, sorry." I responded, not truly sorry, but not enough of a dick to say so. "So what was it that you were going to talk about earlier?" I asked, giving myself a chance to catch up with my own thoughts while she gave hers.

"Just… my day. You got nominated for Prom King if you didn't already know. Goku did too. Chi and I were nominated for Prom Queen. I guess the popular vote split and I got lucky enough. Otherwise there are two other people that I don't particularly know. So there's a chance that you and I might share a dance tomorrow night in front of our entire senior class." I could hear the hopefulness in her voice. I hated that I would have to shut it down.

"I doubt it, Bulma. If anything, people are more willing to vote for Kakkarot than me, and chances are, if they vote for him, then they'll also vote for his harpy of a girlfriend. Everyone knows how "perfect" they are for each other, and most people are just sappy enough to let them make fools of themselves on the dance floor." So maybe I had gone over the top with my explanation.

"I guess you're right," she said, after I heard my words cut down her best friend and crush her hopes and dreams all in one breath. "Anyway," she said with a pause, "We'll be meeting up at my house tomorrow around 5-ish to take some pictures. Don't be late, okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," I stated, trying to make up for my earlier statements. She hung up and I was left with an awkward smile covering my face. I felt like an idiot.

After I hung up the phone, I felt dazed again. My brief experiment in mental clarity was long gone. I was back to good-ol' Vegeta. Or rather, the Vegeta that people could care more about; the Vegeta that also cared about them. It didn't bother me as much as you would think it would.

And then I slept.

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**Post-Chapter Author's Note**: First off, thanks to everyone who's been sticking through this story, eagerly awaiting this chapter. Luckily, you won't have to wait MONTHS for the next one. Like always, life has been getting to me recently, but things are better now! If it starts to seem like I'm not really updating like you want me to, feel free to bug me via AIM: XxBrkxMyxHeartxX. As always R&R!

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	15. Chapter Fourteen: The Big Day

**With Benefits  
Chapter Fourteen: The Big Day**

_Crash!_

The sound of shattering glass woke me from my pleasant slumber. Knowing it was probably one of my parents, I chose to slowly pull myself from my bed. I read the numbers on the clock, 12:24, and picked up my phone from the nightstand. I had 8 missed calls. I chose to disregard them.

I padded down the stairs in my boxers and a t-shirt and made my way to the kitchen where I found my mother sweeping glass shards into a dust pan.

"Your glass-breaking woke me up," I said to her with a yawn.

She smiled at me genuinely. "I'm sorry, dear. I was washing dishes and the glass slipped out of my hand. Make sure you don't walk around in here barefoot yet." She continued sweeping.

It was strange to actually see one of my parents home on a Saturday afternoon. Usually my mother would drink herself stupid on Friday nights after work and then stay passed out until after I had already left. Today was strangely different, however, and my mother stood in front of me with her black hair tied up in a bun, wearing normal clothing, doing housework. In my confusion, I walked to the refrigerator to find something to eat.

"There is some toast in the toaster if you'd like it," my mother mentioned, returning to the dishes. Not needing to be told twice, I made my way to the toaster, placed the toast on a plate, and used the butter that was already out, waiting for me. As I was buttering my toast, my phone buzzed on the table.

"Someone is calling you, dear." I shrugged in response. "Well what if it's that girl you're going to the dance with?" I shrugged again, placing toast in my mouth and walked to the table. She glared at me. "You can't just go ignoring women all the sudden. They'll get angry with you and find ways to get you back." Oh, my mother's wisdom.

"Oh! That reminds me!" she exclaimed. She dried her hands on a small towel and walked to the refrigerator. "I picked this up at the florist yesterday for you, because I figured you wouldn't think to get something like this." She pulled out a small plastic box that indeed held something I had forgotten. "I didn't know what your date would be wearing, so I chose a red rose with some white ribbon. It's one she can wear around her wrist too, so you don't have to worry about pinning it to her dress."

It was at that moment that I sighed before my mother asked what was wrong. "She isn't going as my date, mother. I won't be able to give her this, she will already have one."

There was a small twinkle in my mom's eye, as if she knew everything that would happen that night and then proceeded to tell me not to worry. "You're clever, Vegeta. I know you'll find a way to make her wear this corsage."

I finished my toast and put the corsage back in the refrigerator. "I'll pick it up just before I leave." And with that, I left my mother in the kitchen to find something else to pass the time with.

I made my way back to my room as my phone rang again. "I'll be at your house in 5 hours, woman. What the hell could you want before then?" I said out loud as I let the phone ring on my bed.

I pulled my rental tux out of the closet and laid it across my bed. _Keep this color in mind_, she told me. And so I had chosen a dark blue vest. She seemed oddly set on making the two of us match even though we weren't supposed to be together that night. The blue was deep and regal, just like her eyes. I almost felt regret in not answering my phone. Either that, or I felt regret for listening to her words. Ever since our first "encounter" on her couch, Bulma had always had a certain power over me that no other person ever had. Her entire being was mesmerizing to me, and at that point, knowing just how beautiful she would be that night, I wasn't sure how much I could hold back. What was a reputation anymore anyway? I was a month from graduating and getting away from everyone who's ever known me.

I chose not to dwell on the situation any more than I already had, and then found my way into the shower. I turned the water on as hot as it would go and began getting my hair wet. _T-minus four hours and counting_, I thought as the warm water soaked my hair. By the time I was ready to shampoo, I was already thinking about the dance again. Bulma had told me that I had been nominated for Prom King, and she for Queen. The idea of standing on a stage with her and four other people while hot lights beamed around me made me a little uneasy. I was cocky and arrogant, but not much for being close enough to look at by those who adored me. And then my mind drifted to what my so-called friends would think about Bulma and me wearing the same color. Perhaps they wouldn't notice. I've always thought that Kakarot had some suspicion about my relationship with the woman, but he seemed too dense to actually put two and two together. By the time I had thought of every little detail that could (and no doubt would) go wrong, I was finished with my shower, but decided to stay under the warm water a little longer. It was refreshing to relax all the time like I had been doing lately.

I shut off the water after a few minutes and stood in the shower, dripping. I reached for a towel and dried my skin before towel-drying my hair. Naked with a towel on my head, I padded back to my bedroom, hung the tux back up, and laid on the bed. Within minutes, I fell asleep, taking a small nap.

_Her eyes were watery and red as if she had been crying. "_We're not going to see each other much after this, will we?"_ she asked, staring straight at me. The moonlight made it difficult to see much of her features, but I could sense how upset she was. "_Holidays I guess we will," _she stated mechanically. _

I woke up to a knock on my door. "Vegeta, honey, It's four in the afternoon. Shouldn't you be getting ready?" I heard my mother ask through the door. Groggily, I answered something to the effect of "I'm getting ready now" and I heard her walk down the hallway.

"Getting ready" for me was next to nothing. I put on a pair of boxers and loosened all the pieces of the tux from the hangers. White tux shirt first, black pants second, tuck in shirt. Trouser socks, vest, dress shoes. Button the top button, attach bow tie. Within ten minutes, I was fully prepared, minus the coat, of course. I slung the jacket over my shoulder and picked up my phone to put in my pocket. As I walked down the stairs, I caught my mother's eye and she smiled at me. "You look stunning," she stated as she walked toward me. She kissed my cheek and placed a set of car keys in my hand. "It's always better to be early, than on time. So go have fun. This is one of the last times you'll get to see some of these people, make the most of it. The next chance you'll get is graduation, and at that point, a lot of people are far more concerned with crying and hugging and getting the hell out more than anything."

I took her advice very seriously. Even though my parents rarely spoke to me, they were quite intelligent and wise.

I picked up the corsage from the refrigerator and made my way to the outside through the kitchen. "I love you, Vegeta!" my mother yelled after me. It made me smile a little to hear her say it. Every child desires parental affection.

I made my way to Bulma's house via my mother's sleek black sedan. At 4:30 I was already parked in her driveway, but nowhere near ready to have pictures taken. Bulma and her mother met me at my car door, both of them beaming.

"You're the first one here," Bulma stated with a smile. It was genuine and soft, and almost made me melt my cold, hard exterior.

"I needed to get out of the house," I lied. It was always an excuse I used when I needed it. By lying and acting cold, I was able to take more notice of Bulma's attire via my permanent glare. Her dress was a regal midnight blue that reflected her eyes perfectly. It sparkled and gleamed where the sunlight hit it just right. It was strapless and floor length with a long slit that hit her about mid-thigh, just short enough to leave the rest to the imagination. Her beautiful hair was curled and pulled up like a princess. Small ringlets rested on her neck and near her ears. Her bangs were swept across her forehead to almost cover her right eye. When she caught my glare, she mimicked the look.

Our staring contest was over when her mother chimed in with "Let's take some pictures inside!" in her bubbly voice. I followed Bulma into the house and her mother placed us in front of the fireplace. I put on a smile and her mother then went crazy with the camera. By the time there was a knock on the door, I wasn't sure if I was able to see anymore from the flashes.

Bulma answered the door for my favorite person in the world, Yamcha. He and I exchanged glares across the room, but Bulma and her mother kept us from tearing each other apart by taking more pictures. I sat on her couch while her mother took "adorable" pictures of the happy couple. Luckily, there was a second knock on the door after a few minutes and Kakarot and ChiChi walked in the door. More pictures were taken, some of couples, some of the entire group. At 6:30 we were all ready to go and eat dinner, so we piled in our rental car, and made our way to the restaurant. Kakarot drove, with ChiChi in the passenger seat, therefore leaving me in the back next to Bulma, who sat next to Yamcha also.

At dinner there was small talk concerning our upcoming college plans other mindless banter. It was all quite dull until Yamcha chose to point out something Bulma and I wished he hadn't.

"Well, Vegeta. It seems a little odd that you of all people aren't here with some bimbo. Where's you're date?" he asked.

After swallowing my food, I politely told him to "Fuck off."

"Wow… someone's kind of touchy tonight. Did she blow you off for some better football star? Or was it you that left her because blowing you is exactly what she didn't do?"

It took all of my energy not to jump across the table and strangle that fool. Kakarot even glared at Yamcha.

"Look, Yamcha," Kakarot began, "we're all trying to have a nice meal, and I don't want to leave you here because you're making an ass out of yourself."

I had never had so much respect for him than I did at that moment. He actually felt like a friend to me as I sat next to him and reveled in his putting-Yamcha-down glory. But for some reason, Yamcha just couldn't stop.

"Alright, alright. I understand Goku. But will someone at least tell me why he's wearing almost the exact same color blue my girlfriend is?" Yamcha asked.

The table fell silent. Bulma began to blush a little and Kakarot and ChiChi both stared at my ensemble. It was true that she and I were dressed in nearly the same color, but we were hoping that no one would really notice. Chichi was the first to chime in with, "I think he looks kind of good in it. I don't see the problem." She also blushed a little when Kakarot gave her a quizzical look. But he then agreed with her, and the issue was dropped. Bulma and I both breathed a sigh of relief. No one else noticed.

After dinner we made our way to the dance itself. There were various flowers and drapery and all other sorts of decoration in a small ballroom, but seemingly out of place was a large stage with a DJ where we were told that the crowning of king and queen was going to be held. Around 8:30, an announcement was made for all nominees of Prom King, Queen, Prince, and Princess to make their way to the DJ's area. A member of administration told us all how we were going to stand and what to do if we were actually crowned. Around 9:15, all of the nominees for Prince and Princess were lined up and the ballroom fell silent for the winners. I didn't pay much attention to who won, but they seemed fairly happy about the situation. The prince and princess shared a dance, and then it was time for the crowning of the king and queen.

Our names were announced as we were lined up on the stage and a dramatic, eerie silence fell across the room. King was announced first and to my surprise, it was my named called! I nervously walked forward a few steps where I would shortly be joined by my queen. Thoughts raced through my head about who it could possibly be. Some random girl with an awkward smile and a horse-face? Or perhaps even my best friends girlfriend? Oh god, it was going to be a nightmare.

And then they announced my queen. My beautiful blue-haired queen. I smiled as she walked up beside me and I felt my heart soar as she looked at me and smiled. And then, of course, we shared the most passionate kiss I could ever give to another person. And you, of course, know the rest.

Now I sit here, alone, leaning over this small bridge staring at my reflection and wondering what the last month of my senior year is going to be like seeing as how I sabotaged it all with one small, glorious kiss. I will just have to wait to find out as soon as Monday rolls around.

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**Post-chapter Author's Note:** There you go, folks! That's the last chapter. But fret not! I have one more for you to tie up the loose ends. It will of course be an epilogue and not in first person. Are you excited?! You know the drill: read and review makes me want to write more!!

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	16. Epilogue

With Benefits  
Epilogue

The ballroom was filled with voices discussing the event that just took place. Bulma continued to simply stand in the middle of the room and stare at the balcony Vegeta had just escaped from. It wasn't long before an angry Yamcha showed up in front of her with a deep scowl on his face.

"What the hell was that?" he asked angry while simultaneously grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the exit. His face was red with rage and his eyes had never been set in such a deep scowl.

"Let go of me," Bulma stated quietly without trying to free herself from his grasp.

He chose not to listen and continued pulling her out into the parking lot. By this time of the night, there were no longer and high school instructors or staff monitoring the area. "What the hell was that?" Yamcha repeated with more anger in his voice than the previous time. His grip on Bulma's arm tightened slightly.

"Let go of me," she repeated, this time trying to wriggle her arm free.

"You should listen to her," a voice from behind Bulma said. Both she and Yamcha turned to see Goku, arms crossed, glaring at Yamcha with a very serious look. "I'd advise that you let her go immediately and leave her alone for a while." His voice was stern and it was as if he'd lost all that childish naiveté

Yamcha snarled but obeyed. He removed his hand from Bulma's arm and walked up to Goku. "You're lucky I like you so much," he said in Goku's face, "otherwise I'd stick around and kill you." Yamcha's tone changed to that of an eccentric child. "I'm sure you've been in on this! I'm sure you knew all along!" and with that, he stormed off to attend a post-prom party to get drunk with all his other friends.

While Bulma was rubbing the sore spot on her arm, both Goku and ChiChi approached her. "Are you alright?" the asked in unison.

"I'm fine," she responded, "but I hope I never see Yamcha again."

To that statement, Goku's mouth became a very wide grin. "I bet you'd rather be seeing Vegeta, huh?"

Bulma's cheeks turned a bright crimson, and a small grin peeked across her face. "I really need to talk to him," she stated meekly.

"Well," Goku started, "he did take off with our rental car, so if we don't find him tonight, I'm sure we'll see him Monday morning. But I'm also sure you'd like to talk to him as soon as possible." Bulma nodded.

Chichi spoke up at this point. "Goku's friend Krillin offered us a ride if we needed it. I'm sure he'd be willing to drive us around until we found Vegeta."

"Krillin did say he would help us out if we needed it," Goku agreed. "Speaking of which…"

A shorter bald man began walking down the parking lot in the group's direction. His jacket was slung over his shoulder and his face bore a look of dejection. "I just didn't bring my A-game tonight, man," he said to Goku with a shrug. That's when he noticed the group simply standing around in the parking lot. "So I guess you guys do need my help then, eh?" He smirked. "For once, it's Krillin to the rescue!"

Everyone followed the short man to his car and Bulma chose to sit in the front seat. Before he started the car, Krillin tried to get a feel for his destination. "So do you guys have any idea where we might find Vegeta? Or am I really just going to drive around the entire city until you all get tired of looking?"

"I have a small idea," Bulma said quietly. She proceeded to tell Krillin about the park and how Vegeta always liked to be contemplative in areas like that. Krillin decided that such a start was better than nothing and headed to the only park he knew how to get to.

The drive was less-than-great for Bulma. "So you and Vegeta, eh? That's a match I never saw coming. What do you see in the guy? It definitely can't be that magnetic personality of his." Krillin wasn't expecting a response, and continued on with his jeering. "I mean, the only magnetic personality he's got must be the same charge as ours. All he does is repel. But man! Having the nerve to kiss you like that on the dance floor! That takes some skill! And with Yamcha watching too! I wish I were that smooth…"

"Yeah, Bulma," Goku started, "when did you and Vegeta start this? Certainly this wasn't the first time he's kissed you." ChiChi slapped him on the arm. "That's not really all that nice to ask, dear," she firmly stated.

Bulma sighed. "No, ChiChi, it's okay. Vegeta and I have been at this game since about October. We hid it from you guys because I was afraid of Yamcha and Vegeta was afraid for his reputation. But now that school is almost over, I guess he kind of… let go." Bulma kept her eyes on the road, not wanting to discuss the matter further. Everyone else in the car got the hint.

"Well here we are," Krillin said after reaching the group's destination. Bulma got out of the car first, seeing a small figure leaning against the railing over a bridge. She moved toward the bridge while the rest of the group stayed behind. Every step she took was cautious, but the figure on the bridge never moved.

It was somewhat chilly for a late April night and Bulma crossed her bare arms to warm them. The closer she got to the bridge, the more easily she could see the flame-haired Vegeta, leaning over the railing staring into the water. Every move she made was a cautious one, hoping not to alarm him, but also hoping to make her presence known. Vegeta on the other hand already knew she was there, and his jaw clinched as she edged closer. He didn't dare look at her to avoid eye contact and just simply stared down into the dark nothingness of the water.

"Vegeta…" Bulma began. Her voice simply trailed off with his name. At the sound, Vegeta sighed. She had found him. She had probably already known where to look. She was going to want to talk. He only wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. The embarrassment of the scene he had made, the feeling of need which he had for her, the sound of nothingness as he kissed her that one last time: all of it made him want to disappear. All of it made him feel weak. All of it he never wanted to happen again. All of it he wanted to forget.

"Vegeta, I wanted to apologize."

The statement caused the flame-haired teen to look up from the water. He stared in awe at the woman he adored. Her piercing blue eyes stared straight into his onyx ones. She held herself tall and proud; her arms dropped to her sides and her hands balled up into fists. Her mouth was neither set in a frown nor a smile. Indeed, she wanted to talk. She wanted to talk like she never had wanted to before.

But Bulma was not the kind of woman who could hold up this act for long and they both knew it. Bulma's face fell into sadness; her eyes began to water and her bottom lip quivered. Just as she began to fall to her knees, Vegeta rushed to her. She collapsed instead against his chest and continued to cry. Her words were a mixture of sobs and "I'm sorry" over and over again. Six months ago, Vegeta never would have been able to handle this. He would have left the woman on the ground to cry and cry while he simply walked away shaking his head. "Stupid woman," he would have said then and continued to walk off.

"Stupid woman," he did say, but in a much softer voice. He stroked her soft blue hair and buried his nose in it. He inhaled her scent with a smile. "Foolish, silly woman," he continued. While she cried, he held her, relishing the situation.

Soon, however, the crying stopped and Bulma looked up at Vegeta in admiration. Her eyes were red around the edges from crying. "I want to—" she started.

"I know how much you want to talk, woman," he interrupted. "But this is not the place we should do such a thing." He glanced over to their friends watching from a distance. "Let's get you home and we can talk about this tomorrow."

Bulma nodded in agreement and stood up straight again. She took Vegeta's hand in hers and to her surprise, he didn't jerk his hand away. The pair began walking towards the car and the group of friends that had stayed back to watch. "Vegeta?" Bulma began just before they were in earshot of the group. "Could I stay with you tonight?"

Vegeta gave her a quizzical look, but nodded. "I don't see any harm in it, and it will give us a chance to talk."

The pair were finally with the rest of the group who didn't say anything out of fear that Vegeta would hurt them. They all simply piled into the car and Bulma told them where to go and how to get there. Vegeta sat in the back seat next to Bulma, who rested her head on his shoulder. He simply stared at the window and watched the semi-sleeping town rush by.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are you really sure it's okay for me to be here on a Saturday night while you're parents aren't home?" she asked me from the bathroom. While she was in another room, I quickly changed into some pajamas so as not to ruin the tuxedo.

"Believe me. I pretty much keep this place to myself. And even if my parents did come home and find you, they know how old I am. I'm sure they wouldn't mind anyway." I reassured her. As I finished the statement I saw Bulma walk out of my bathroom clad in some of my old clothes. Her hair was fully down now and all her makeup was washed off. She was still stunning.

I watched her softly make her way to my bed and she sat next to me, far enough away to still rest her head on my shoulder, but close enough to where I could simply inhale and smell her scent. The electricity was almost unbearable between us, but I kept myself calm. After all, she wanted to talk.

"What's going to happen to us next year?" she started. "I mean… are we still going to be together considering we're going away to college and everything?"

I couldn't answer her. I didn't know how to answer her. I shifted and stood up from the bed to walk to my balcony. I heard her follow and felt the soft touch of her skin as she grasped my arm. The night air was still cool and the moonlight was enough light for me to see Bulma's features twist as I refused to answer her questions.

"We won't really see much of each other next year I guess…" she trailed off and sighed. Her eyes were still a little red around the edges from earlier when she had been crying. As I looked into her eyes I felt a strong sense of déjà vu. And then I recalled the short dream I had before prom. And that's when I knew how to reassure her.

"No," I began. "We will see as much of each other as we can." I lifted her face by her chin and smiled at her. "I will see to it that I can see as much of you as I please, no matter what." This forced a smile from her lips as well. "Bulma Briefs, I cannot bear to be away from you for more than a second. You drive me insane in every way possible. Nothing bad will happen to you, to us, because I won't let it. I love you." And with that, I crushed my lips to hers.

Her mouth was sweet and the only thing I ever wanted to feast off of again. I pressed my right hand to her back and felt her hands cup my face. One of her hands gently began caressing my neck and ears and I fought myself from taking this situation too far.

I broke our kiss almost too roughly, but Bulma held my head so that I could only look into her eyes. "Don't fight it, Vegeta," she said playfully. "I love you, too, and I want this more than anything else in the world." With that, she pulled me in for another unending kiss.

I quickly took control however and began to move us onto the bed. As we kissed and playfully bit each other's necks, Bulma's hips began to grind against mine. Her hands moved from my face and began taking off my clothes. I followed suit and began removing her shirt, trying not to break our kiss. Once I had accomplished the act, I moved my mouth from hers and slowly began kissing her neck and shoulders. I continued to move, planting kisses on her collarbone and chest, while slowly removing her pants and underwear. We were both completely naked by the time I had made it to her breasts. And I paused shortly to admire her beauty. She was gorgeous lying beneath me and it only drove me to continue.

Her back arched as I put my mouth to her breasts. With my tongue I gently played with one nipple while my hand gave attention to the other. The foreplay however was finished for her and with strength I didn't know she had, she rolled on top of me and pinned me to the bed with her hands. She straddled my hips with her own and I could feel the warmth of her womanhood on my throbbing erection. With one of her hands, she grabbed my manhood and held it upright. And then she slid herself on to me and I moaned in pleasure. She was so warm and soft, so wet and tight. I could barely maintain the urge to roll us over again as she slowly moved up and down on top of me. My breathing became ragged and I my eyes rolled to the back of my head. This was heaven.

She quickened with a skill I didn't realize she had and it kept all I could to keep from coming. I opened my eyes for a second to see her beauty bouncing on top of me. Her breasts seemed to wave at me from just out of the reach of my mouth. Her face was beautiful as she too made faces of pleasure. But I could tell she was tiring and not reaching orgasm, so I once again took control.

I rolled on top of her and began to thrust deep inside her and with every hard thrust, her mouth made soft moans. As I quickened my pace she also thrust upward keeping up with me and making this the most enjoyable thing I had ever felt. I moved faster and faster to the point where she could only lie there and enjoy the ride. She moaned louder and louder until I could barely hold back and moved as fast as I could. I let out a loud moan and held myself inside her while simultaneously she thrust up one last time in orgasm. As I spilled my seed inside of her I collapsed on top of her.

Her eyes were shut and I turned us to both lie on our sides. My breathing and hers began to get back to normal and I noticed a smile creep up on her face. When her eyes opened she stared at me drunkenly. I smiled back.

"I love you so much, Vegeta," she said, burying her head into my chest. Within a few minutes, I could feel her breathing get softer and heavier; she had fallen asleep.

"I love you, too, Bulma Briefs. I promise I will never leave your side." I whispered into her hair. With that, I closed my eyes and soon drifted to sleep myself.

No matter what, Bulma would always be mine.

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**Author's Note: **There you have it folks! That's the end of a story I started more than a year ago -.-;;;;;;; As far as something else out by me, I haven't really decided yet. I'm not really bursting with ideas as of now, so it's either going to be my fall-back story **The Tragedy of Trunks** which is a version of Hamlet set to DBZ or I just won't be writing much for a while. =[ If you have any ideas that you would like to see me tackle, feel free to send me an email or find some way of contacting me!


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